Colors of the Sunrise
by ShiningWind
Summary: (Chapter 8 up!) Van Dillogne is Termina's hottest new artist. Melanie Hineka is a poor teenage girl that loves to draw and is obsessed with Van Dillogne. What happens when Mel runs away and the two meet? Please read! (AU and very OOC.)
1. Termina! Yippee!

(A/N: My first Chrono Cross fanfic!  It is semi-AU (as in names I made up and occupations and more) and the characters are OOC because I haven't played the game in a while.  Sorry, Mel is an obsessed teenager like me in this story, just to warn you.  Chrono Cross is owned by Squaresoft, so sue them.  But first, read my story.)

Colors of the Sunrise

Chapter 1: Termina!  Yippee!

"Arrgh!  There's nothing worth drawing here!" I complained, banging my fist against the wooden desk as I stared at my untouched piece of sketch paper.  "How am I supposed to become a famous artist like Van Dillogne if I have nothing to draw?"

Melanie Hineka, or Mel as I prefer to be called, is a 14 year old girl of reddish hair and green eyes.  She has a thin frame, toned from running around town at top after her brother, swimming in the ocean when her brother tips her out his boat, and throwing her boomerang around to fight those unwanted bullies.  Her hair is long and always tied into a ponytail.  She is hoping to become an artist like Van Dillogne, her role model with a lean body, straight purple hair, and blue eyes.  He's…hot!  He's only 18 and he's already famous.  He has a great personality too, even though she's never met him.  Oh, he's perfect…

Just so you know, I'm Van's biggest fan.  With the measly amount of money my mother gives me for doing chores around the house, I have purchased a portrait of him and one of his paintings of the sea off his own balcony of his house!  That picture was expensive, costing 5000 gil.  But that didn't matter to me.  His works are in high demand, so it was better to buy it then rather than now.  I could easily make double for the painting if I sold it, but of course I won't.  I actually appreciate his works for their beauty, not their market value.  I've tried to imitate his style, but it's so hard.  It probably would be a lot easier if I had access to those places he's seen, but what can I do with my small allowance?  My mom wouldn't let me out very far anyway.  She's very overprotective of my brother Korcha and I, even though he's 20 now.

"Mel!  Come upstairs and help Ma cook dinner!" shouted my brother from the ladder.  Living in Guldove is cheap, but we don't even have staircases!  We always have to climb ladders, which doesn't add anything architecturally significant to our boring house.

"Okay, okay!" I yell back, scrambling out of my chair.  "What's the rush?"

As I climb up the ladder my lips curl into disgust.  "Fish fin stew again?"

Ma looks at me and apologizes.  "Sorry.  We don't have enough money to afford anything else," she says, handing me the ladle.  I look inside to see if there are any traces of real meat.  Oh yes, there is some!  I better save that piece for myself because after all, I am a growing girl.

As we ate dinner on the floor with our wooden soup bowls, Ma said, "You know, if we sold that picture of yours, we could make a nice sum of 20000 gil right now.  Then we wouldn't have to suffer eating fish fin stew everyday."

_NO!  It's not possible!  Sell that picture by Van Dillogne?  Never!  I look at her, hoping for some other answer.  "Isn't there another way?" I asked._

_Ma doesn't understand.  It's my allowance money, and I had to forego candy or jewelry for months in order to buy that!  It's not FAIR… _

"No…" she replied, not softening her stand as I tried pouting.

"What about getting another job?" I asked.  _There's got to be another way…I know it!_

"No.  The business in Guldove is really tight.  Korcha and I are not able to find any higher-pay jobs.   This is the only way out for now," she replied

"But…" I interjected, but Korcha interrupted me.  "Give it up, Mel," he said, sighing.  "It's mostly for you, anyway.  What's a painting worth if we keep starving like this?"

I couldn't stand this anymore.  "First of all, it was my money.  Secondly, I need food because I'm still growing, just as you did when you were my age.  And lastly, if you're just going to give up already, then I'm leaving!" I shouted angrily at them.  "I'll find a way to make the gil that you can't!  Just you wait!"  With that, I sprinted out the door.

Maybe it was childish, but I had to cool down.  I couldn't stand being useless and waiting for the doom to come.  I would do something, even with the little skills I had.  With that thought, I took Korcha's boat and headed to Termina.  Screw them!  It was going to be a new lifestyle for Melanie Hineka.

*****

_Now this place is a place with opportunity!  Termina was full of tourists as the afternoon sun shone upon the white buildings.  Loud noises could be heard as she walked past the bar.  Turning right, she went into Lisa's shop.  The element shopkeeper said politely, "Welcome to Lisa's!  Oh, hello, dear.  You seem a bit lost right now."_

"That's definitely true.  I've had a rough time at home and I'm just looking around to find some of the interesting places here," I replied, relaxing a bit and actually having someone to talk to.

She replied, "Well this town is mostly a town of shops and stuff.  Um…there is the old shack of Dario and Glenn Lancote, which is more like a museum now that they live at Viper Manor.  There's also Van Dillogne's home that displays a few of his artworks in the hallway.  Um…"

"VAN DILLOGNE?" I squealed.  "Is it really true?"

"Yeah.  He's quite the handsome guy, isn't he?  I've heard a rumor that he's returning today from a trip in Porre.  Don't tell anyone else that, though," she replied, smiling.  "He's too young for me.  I have my eyes set on Glenn anyway."

"Well he's probably just as handsome even though I don't know him," I replied.  I was jumping at the news.  _He's really here!  And if you're lucky, you can actually meet him!  Oh my god!  "Thank you so much!" I beamed.  Giving her a quick hug, I left quickly and headed towards the bridge._

"Oh…the energy of youth…" muttered Lisa as I left.  "And I'm not even that old…"

*****

After making a left, I entered the street of attractions.  Right as I entered the street I saw the shack/museum that Lisa talked about.  The blacksmith was next door with Zippa and Zappa, known to be Karsh's parents.  But easily seen from far away was a white mansion two stories tall.  _That must be Van's home!  Trying not to let my excitement control me, I forced myself to calm down.  __It's not like he would enjoy the company of a hyperactive girl anyway.  Reaching the door, I see a sign that reads "Please come in" hanging there.  Slowly turning the knob, I step inside the Dillogne mansion. _

It's beautiful.  The black marble tile floor reflects the lights from the large windows in the foyer.  Upon the cream white wall hang paintings from mountain landscapes to portraits of his father.  As I walked around, dazed, I accidentally collide with something, which turns out to be a woman in about her thirties.

"Oops…I'm sorry," I said, taking a step backward.  She has short brown hair, a motherly figure, and brown eyes.  _She looks nothing like him…it couldn't be his mother…_

"It's okay, dear," she replied.  "Welcome to the Dillogne home.  How may I help you?"

"Uh…h-hi…" I stammered, turning a bit red.  "I was looking for Van Dillogne.  Is he here?"

"No, not yet.  He's supposed to be home very soon…but hasn't come back yet," the lady said.  "Why don't I show you around?  I still have a bit of cleaning to do."

"Sure," I replied.  _A tour of the house!  Awesome!  As she led me up the staircase, I was able to get a close up view of one of the paintings.  It was signed Gogh Dillogne._

"Um…I have a question," I said to the lady quietly.  She turned around, smiling cheerily.  Pointing to the picture, I asked, "Was this painting by Van's father?"

She nodded.  "Yes dear," she replied.  "He used to be a great painter until his wife died.  Then he went into business.  It's really a sad story."

_Sad story?  Dad is a painter?  Making sure this was completely in my brain, I then asked another question.  "Could you tell me the story?" I inquired._

She shook her head.  "Sorry, dear, but I must do my cleaning first," she responded.  "I know Mr. Dillogne will be home soon."

Climbing up the rest of the stairs, we entered his room.  It was orderly kept (probably because of this lady) except for a bit of dust of the furniture and the paintbrushes that lay scattered across his desk.  Taking her cloth, she began to clean off the dust.  When she purposely skipped over the brushes, I asked, "Aren't you going to put away his brushes?"

She replied, "He hates anyone who touches his brushes, so I leave them alone."  As she continued to dust, she added, "He keeps them in a special order which I don't understand, but somehow he knows what brush uses which color, etc."

Looking around his room, I find his walls to be actually barren.  _He probably doesn't spend much time in his room, traveling the way he does!  He had a few pictures of himself when he was younger, which were really cute.  He has such adorable eyes!  Another picture was of him and his mother, painted by his father, in a loving embrace.  __She's beautiful!  That's where he gets his awesome looks!_

The room was pretty empty except for his desk, chair, a bed, and a huge armoire.  There was a door to the balcony, which I hesitantly asked the lady if I could go out there.  She gave me permission, and turning the brass knob, I stepped into Van's favorite place.

I could see why.  The view was absolutely gorgeous!  Now that the sun was about to set, the reflection of the rays colored the sea with a beautiful reddish tint.  At the very edge of the horizon another island was visible, perhaps being Guldove.  _Guldove…I wonder how Ma and Korcha are doing?  But they wouldn't care about me, would they?  They probably are glad that they don't have to feed someone as greedy as me and who complains all the time._

As I gazed at the horizon, a slight breeze swept across the balcony.  Shivering a bit from the cold wind, I wrapped my arms around myself.  _Usually I would be home, cooking for Ma right now.  But I can't go back now, not after what I've said…_

"You look really cold right now," said a smooth, masculine voice.  Jumping out of my reverie, I turned around to look.  Right before me stood the one and only Van Dillogne, just as I imagined him, with his gorgeous purple hair and blue eyes.

(A/N: There you go.  Doesn't this suck?  Well please review!  I'd really like some feedback.  I know some of the changes are abrupt, and if you can help, please tell me!)


	2. What’s it called…studentship?

(A/N: I'm back!  Looks like the characters are going to become more OOC the further I get in this story.  Sorry guys for not updating sooner.  At least hope for one update each month…though I can't even promise that.  The disclaimer is the same as last chapter; of course I don't own this game, Squaresoft does.  They're rich, and not me.)

Previous chapter:

"You look really cold right now," said a smooth, masculine voice.  Jumping out of my reverie, I turned around to look.  Right before me stood the one and only Van Dillogne, just as I imagined him, with his gorgeous purple hair and blue eyes. 

Chapter 2: What's it called…studentship?

"Uh…h-hi…" I stammered, probably a bit pink right now.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, his eyes suddenly flashing brightly.  "Are you another one of those crazy fan-girls roaming my house, trying to impress me with a skimpy outfit and hoping I might go for you?"

_What?_  His sudden anger confused me.  Yes, I was stupid enough not to bring a sweater to wear for cold temperatures like this and only wearing a thin tank top and shorts, but I was not trying to impress him.  I was just interested…yeah, that's what I should say…

I think the shock that clearly was shown on my face answered his later question.  He scanned me from head to toe, most interested in my face.  Yes, my reddish hair-color wasn't that common, and I enjoyed my uniqueness.  "You're just a girl…" he mused.  "Sorry for my rudeness, but I've been sick of those crazy girls in Porre that could not detach themselves from me and give me my own privacy," he said, transforming his pleasant face into an angry scowl as he ranted further.  "What's with these girls?  Do they think I like that?"

"No…" I randomly blurted out.  Not realizing that I said that out loud, I stared at him, waiting for him to respond when he was waiting for ME to finish my statement.

"No what?" he asked.  I thought for a bit, and said, "No…I think that they…want your attention, I guess.  Well, I don't think that's the way I…"

"Would do it, you say," he finished for me.  "Well that's certainly true.  I don't know what Rhonda was thinking to let you into my room, but…"

"She's a nice girl.  Don't be so harsh on her," said the lady as she intruded upon our conversation.  "At least she doesn't flaunt herself in front of you."  Turning to me, she said, "Well, dear, I guess it is time for you to go home now.  Mr. Dillogne is very tired, unless you want to join us for dinner?"

"No…" both Van and I said.  Van continued, saying, "I'm really tired so I just want to go to bed."  He went inside, and almost immediately we heard him plop onto the bed.  _Wow…he must have been exhausted._  I felt guilty for wasting his time with my stupid conversation.

"What about you dear?  You look like you need a big meal to fill those limbs of yours," the lady asked, facing me.

"No…I'll manage on my own.  I don't want to be a burden," I replied, but her position did not change.

"You're staying here.  You're eating and you're telling me more about yourself.  Got that?" she told me, grabbing onto my arm.  Such a powerful woman when she was determined to do something.  I think she must have influenced Van a bit…maybe.  Dragging me down the stairs, she stared at me while we waited for the soup to boil.

_Wow…this will taste real good._  Inhaling the smell of the soup, I started to feel the pain in my stomach, aching for food.  I tried to suppress it, hugging my arms around my stomach, but it did not go away.  It instead made its presence known by a loud growl, making me flush in embarrassment and the lady smile knowingly.  _Well, I definitely won't be able to refuse anything now…_

So it was no surprise when I gobbled down almost the whole pot of soup, probably eating Van's portion.  _Well he wasn't hungry, anyway…  _I forced her to allow me to wash the dishes as a small repayment of what she had done for me, but she only added to the things she had done for me.  After hearing how it was like for me at home, she locked me into the guest bedroom, saying I would stay there overnight and not outside.  I could not resist; she had one of those motherly looks that crushed the resistance, no matter what the excuse was.  The bed was white and fluffy, so much better than the wooden one I had at home.  It was so clean and soft, I felt bad just looking at the bed.  Being smelly and sweaty since I hadn't washed in a while, I decided that I would take the carpeted floor.  And that was still softer than my bed.

It wasn't too long until I was completely asleep.  I remember last hoping that Van wouldn't be angry in the morning.

*****

_What is this?  It's a…white fluffy pillow on a white fluffy bed!  _I woke up to the sounds of tiny bird chirps and bright sunlight from the window.  Surprised to see feel such softness underneath me, I was even more shocked to find myself tucked under the blankets of the white bed.  _Who put me here…oh, probably Rhonda.  _She was a sneaky one, but I didn't mind.  I bet she came in and tucked me in.  Such a deep sleeper that I am, I probably wouldn't even know if someone tossed me off Van's balcony or not.  Stretching my arms out, I tumbled out the bed to find myself in a…silky nightgown?  My tank top and shorts were nowhere to be found, but over on the desk lay a blue T-shirt, khaki pants, and a belt.  Picking up the note that the lady probably left there the night before, I deciphered the scribbled writing into:

Change into these and eat breakfast with us.  Your clothes have been put with Van's dirty laundry and will be washed today.  Don't worry, Van won't kick you out.  I'll make sure of that.

~ Rhonda

"Well it looks like I'd better do what she says," I mumbled to myself.  Tugging the nightgown over my head, I slipped into the loose pants and shirt.  Actually they weren't really loose…but kind of big.  Like my pants barely stayed on even with the belt, and the T-shirt went halfway down my thighs.  It didn't matter…anything but the nightgown, or Van would be thinking that I was trying to make a mess in his home.

Slowly walking down the staircase, I tried not to trip myself, gripping tightly to the rail.  As I finally strode into the kitchen, I found the room to be silent.  Both Van and Rhonda looked at me as I waddled my way into my seat, knowing that I was acting pretty dumb.  Rhonda was the first to speak as she rose out her chair, obviously finished with her meal.

"Hello, Mel.  Did you have a pleasant sleep last night?  Oh, sorry that those clothes are too big, those are Van's old clothes, and…" she rambled.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," I interrupted, taking a seat.  "Thank you for yesterday," I added, picking up my fork and digging it into the scrambled eggs.  I was about to put it into my mouth when I noticed Van staring at me.  _What's wrong?  Is something it my messy hair, or these clothes?  _Rhonda, as usual, broke the silence again.

"Well I guess I will leave you two alone," she said, looking at both of us.  "Why don't you learn more about each other since Mel will be staying here for a while?"  With that, she left the room, probably hurrying to start her work.

Now it was just Van and I.  After a few more seconds of silence, Van asked, "You're staying here?"

I laughed a little, then replied, "If Rhonda says so, I guess.  She's quite a forceful woman, so it's not like I have a choice."  I was surprised when he still kept looking at me, almost as if he was analyzing each pore of my body.  I felt a bit unnerved, and moved back to put the egg into my mouth.  It was delicious; I had never tasted scrambled egg so perfect ever before.  As I savored the flavors of my food, I saw Van's expression change into a smile.

"You like it?" he asked me.  I nodded, obviously not speaking because of the food still in my mouth.  "I think Rhonda makes the best scrambled egg ever," he added.

_Wow, nice conversation.  At least there's actually some talking._  I easily finished my portion of scrambled eggs in the silence that followed.  After devouring it, I asked, "You don't mind too much…me staying here?"

He responded with a smile, which obviously was a good sign.  Maybe one day I could talk to him normally, not in broken conversation like this…  "I haven't had much sane company for a long while except for Rhonda," he said.  "Even those artists I met in Porre were obsessive, only talking about things in colors and textures."  He laughed.  "Rhonda told me you also liked to draw," he said plainly, but from the expression on his face I could tell that he wasn't sure about that.

"Yeah," I replied.  "But I'm not any good," I quickly added.  Turning back to my food, I grabbed a piece of buttered toast and took a bite.  _Wow…even the bread here awesome…but then I haven't had bread in such a long time…_

"Don't worry," he said.  "I've been thinking of going into art instruction, but I hadn't found anyone I wanted to teach yet."  _Whoa…did he say art INSTRUCTION?  That's…GREAT!  Maybe I can have him teach me…_  But from the blank, kind of pensive look that still was on his face, even though I was sure I'd obviously jumped at the statement, brought my hopes down.  _Of course I'm not good enough…  _"I was thinking that you could be my first student…" he added after a while, stretching his arms a bit.  I was totally stunned.  His yawn woke me out of my shock, and even still I could not express the excitement.

_He's still waiting for my answer…stupid Mel, answer right now!_  "Of COURSE!" I squealed, probably making him change his decision.  _But wait…he's smiling…I'M NOW VAN'S STUDENT!_  Then something else dawned on me.  "How am I going to pay you?" I asked.

He was dumbfounded.  _Ah…why did I have to ruin my chances?  I was so close.  _But not even a second later, Rhonda shouted, "She can work with me." Where'd she come from?  I thought she was still working?

Van nodded after he found her standing at the doorway with a basket with wet clothes.  "Then it's settled," he said.  The lady nodded, and quickly sped off as silently as she came.  Turning to me, he said, "Nice to meet you, Mel."

I stammered and replied, "Nice to meet you, uh…Mr. Dillogne."

"Please call me Van," he immediately responded.  "I'm not that old, you know?" he laughed.

"Yes, Mr….Van," I said, mock bowing.  "And I know it will be such an honor to be your student," I added, but couldn't help laughing even though it was supposed to be a serious statement.

"Damn…I thought you were actually being genuine," said Van, feigning a pout.

"I actually was…" I started to say, but laughter consumed me again.

"Don't play with me," Van warned, forcing himself to glare at me, "or you'll face the wrath of the abnormally psycho Van Dillogne with his boomerang in hand."

"Oh really?  I use the boomerang too…" I replied, grinning.  He was surprised, and to add to what I said, I flexed my muscles.  I actually have some…wow…

"You…DON'T MAKE FUN OF ME!" he shouted playfully, throwing an air-punch towards me.  Giggling, I scrambled out of my seat.

"Try and stop me!" I taunted, sprinting out the kitchen and out the door.  Too bad I had just eaten, because I ended up having the biggest cramp.  As I clenched my aching stomach, Van laughed at me.

"It's not FUNNY…" I grumbled, glaring at him.  He still continued to laugh, managing to choke out that he cursed me because I teased him.

"Well soon enough he will feel the curse of Melanie Hineka," I told myself.  And with that, I retreated inside to finish my meal only to find all the food gone from the table and all the dishes put away.  _Van…he's really going to get it!  Now not only will he feel my curse, but he will face my wrath.  Hahaha…he'll be begging for mercy…okay, maybe not like that…_

But first, I needed to grab hold of a boomerang…

(A/N: How was this stupid chapter?  I had to find a place for Mel to stay but yet have lots of time to interact with Van.  Yes, later on this is a Mel x Van fic, just to warn you.  Hope you liked this…tried some bits of humor.  Please review, and I hope to update sometime soon!)


	3. The First Day

(A/N: I'm back!  Another chapter that took me one day to write…  Hopefully you like it.  Mel does her usual crazy and random things again.  Disclaimer: you already know what it is, so I won't even bother writing it anymore.)

Chapter 3: The First Day

Finally I got through all those chores…watering all those stupid plants all over the house with a small watering can…  Isn't Van rich enough to buy a larger watering can?  This thing weighs nothing at all even if it was filled to the top.  I bet Van was laughing at me, seeing me run to and from the faucet millions of times.  The plants look kind of dead though…I don't think anyone was taking care of them before.  With all the things that have to be done to maintain the house, I wonder why he keeps it anyway.  He's the only one living there anyway.  There can't be something that special…can there?

I plopped down onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.  Of course it was white, just like everything in the room except the door and the small desk by the windowsill.  The shelves in the room were all white, sparkling clean and empty.  There was also a dresser, pretty empty and strangely…out of place.  _It wasn't there yesterday but then I don't remember the desk either…maybe it was moved there for me.  Opening the dresser I found a few things in there…a mirror, empty hangers, and underwear in the bottom drawers.  _Okay…hopefully my clothes can dry by today so I have something different to wear tomorrow…something that fits maybe.__

Closing the doors to the dresser, I stepped back, suddenly hearing footsteps.  _What the heck?_  Looking around, I thought I must have been dreaming, but they didn't go away, instead becoming louder and louder as if they were coming towards me from behind the dresser.  Curious, I put all my strength into my hands as I placed them on the side of the dresser.  With one gigantic shove, I was able to push the dresser a few feet, revealing a dark passageway.  _That dresser…it was way too easy to move.  Was it supposed to be that way?  Figuring I could get the answers later, I headed down the cold staircase.  It was kind of hard to see without any light, which I should have brought with me but didn't think about it, and soon I bumped into something like the idiot I am, grabbing onto…him or her in order to stabilize myself._

"Whoa…are you okay?" asked the person, a male who sounded like….Van?

"Van?  What are you doing here?" I asked.  He shrugged my hands off him suddenly, almost making me lose my balance again.

"Mel?" he said, surprised.

"Yeah, it's me," I replied.  Well, I couldn't think of anything else.

"Let's go out in the light before we tumble down together," he says, taking my hand and leading me up.  It was more like dragging me up, the way he tugged at my hand.  Fortunately it was only a few steps, and once we reached the top, he immediately let go.  Rhonda was there, like she was always when things happened.

"I've finished the laundry, so would you mind if I borrowed Mel a while so I can make measurements of her?  She really needs some new clothes," said Rhonda.  "Unless you were busy with her," she added, smirking a bit.

"Of course NOT!" vehemently protested Van.  "Please take her away.  She almost killed me, falling into me like that."

I was about to say something when Rhonda said, "So she found the secret entrance already, I see.  Told you she had some brains."

"I never thought she was dumb," replied Van.  "Just…not smart I guess…"

"NOT SMART?" I shouted.  After pummeling him to the floor, I added, "Well you know the truth now.  It was kind of funny seeing you guys talk about me while I was right here."

"Yeah…" muttered Van.  "And not so good looking either."  My foot came threatening close to his chest, and I wouldn't have minded smashing it, but Rhonda restrained me first.  Actually, she scooped me up from the ground, leaving me to struggle in her arms.

"Let's not squish the master.  He gives us the paycheck, by the way," added Rhonda before taking me down the stairs to her own bedroom, hidden crazily behind one of the doors of the house.

*****

"Gah…you're KILLING ME!" I shouted as she squeezed the measuring ropes tightly around my waist.  Rhonda didn't seem to care as I almost fainted from lack of air, pulling it even tighter.

"You've got such a nice, small body," mumbled Rhonda as she recorded the measurements on a piece of paper.  "I used to be so pretty, when I was your age."

"What happened?" I asked, not trying to be rude, but I was curious.  I think she knew I wasn't trying to imply that she was fat or anything, just wondering what had changed her.

"I lost my husband and became a maid here, that's what happened," replied Rhonda.  "Van and his father were awfully nice, giving me lots of food to eat and a nice place to stay.  And I've always thought of Van as my own son."

"What happened to Van's mother?" I asked Rhonda, seeing that she was not mentioned.  "Well, I know she died, but how?"

"I'm not really sure, because before they were not rich enough to hire a maid.  I think she had some kind of cancer that they couldn't pay to get treated.  I don't know," replied Rhonda.  _How sad.  Maybe that's what changed Van's father into a businessman.  I don't remember Pa much, but I know Ma loved him a lot and still misses him._

As I was thinking, Rhonda made the last measurement around my hips.  "There you go," she said as she wrote the last number down.  "I'll send these to the tailor and hopefully they can make you some nice dresses."

I was about to move when she added, "Wait.  I think I might have some clothes that may fit you over here."  _Huh?_  As she left me wondering whose clothes they could be, she opened this enormous storage closet, which was like a bedroom stuffed from floor to ceiling with shirts, pants, socks, and more.  As she pulled out a few things, I noticed that they were shirts tailored for a young teenaged girl, not Rhonda or Van.

"I remembered seeing something your size in this closet a while ago while I was trying to sort through it.  The previous owners of this house were sure rich.  I could open my own store with this much stuff," rambled Rhonda as she threw the shirts at me.  "Try them on," she shouted as she continued to dig through the piles of clothes.  "I know they are a bit old-fashioned, but they'll fit."

After shrugging off the incredible mass of shirts that landed on me, which were enough to bury me so not an inch of my body could be seen, I picked up a blue shirt.  It had a lacy collar and cuffs, and was a bit itchy, not to mention a little low cut and tight around my body, but otherwise I guess it was all right.  It wasn't falling off or killing me…maybe I should restate that.  It was almost plastered to my skin, and it bothered me that it almost forced my stomach to go in and my chest to stick out.  Very uncomfortable indeed.

"It looks good on you," said Rhonda, carrying more loads of shirts and now skirts too.  "Lets try this one next," she said, throwing me the next one of a thousand or so of scattered shirts.

I don't think I left the room until dinnertime.

*****

"So when am I going to get my first art lesson?" I asked Van at the dinner table.  Dinner was turkey, corn, and potatoes.  It was as scrumptious as always…I should ask Rhonda to teach me how to cook like this.  But then when would I ever get those ingredients without being a rich person like Van?

"Tomorrow right after breakfast.  I feel like going to Opassa Beach," said Van, taking a sip of his tea.  "It's always feels good to be there in the morning," he added.

"Plus he can avoid people if he goes there early enough," added Rhonda.  "Don't think to sleep in," she warned.  "He'll have breakfast at 5 o'clock so he can avoid people."

_Looks like I'll be having a lot of fun tomorrow._  "What about getting me a weapon?  I know there are monsters in Lizard Grotto.  Although they are easy, I'd still like to play it safe."

Van thought a moment, before he replied, "All I have are boomerangs."  He seemed at a loss, which was quite hilarious, knowing that I told him that I used the boomerang.  As he saw me start to laugh at him, he put on a quite perplexed look, a very great sight indeed.

"You totally forgot, didn't you.  I use the boomerang too," I said, pretending to swing mine with my right hand.  "Maybe you'll have something better than the one I had home."

Looking at his face, I saw that he remembered.  "I didn't believe you then," he confessed, making me glare at him,  "but now I do."  My glare immediately disappeared.

"That's good…because you wouldn't want to test my wrath, would you?" I asked, feigning innocence.

"Maybe I will," joked Van.  "But let's finish dinner first."

I happily obliged.

*****

At least we walked towards Van's storage room of junk instead of running, because I filled myself to my maximum capacity.  Van was so surprised when I had one more serving of potatoes then he did, probably thinking that I couldn't fit so much into my stomach.  But now I feel a bit…sick.

He had such a great collection of boomerangs that as soon as he opened the door, my eyes almost fell out.  Even the one in the farthest corner, with cobwebs all over it, was better than the one I had at home.  Brushing off the webs, I found it to be really light, despite the shell that made up it.  I could probably handle the next grade up; it would help me with my muscles anyway.

"Like it?" said Van from behind me.  I smiled at him, but also took a look at his.  It had a much sharper edge, but looked a lot lighter.  Seeing that he had a few others of the same kind hanging behind him, I reached to grab one, almost cutting my fingers off while I did so.

"You have good taste," I commented as I easily held the boomerang in my hand.  "Light but deadly…very nice."

"Yeah, just like I am," said Van jokingly.  I had to laugh.

"I rather face the edge of the boomerang than face you," I added in jest.  Tilting the blade ever so slightly, it glimmered even in the dim light.  I guess he liked the compliment very much, as he smiled proudly at me.

He replied, "I like it that way."

(A/N: La…my next chapter.  Looks like I didn't have to break my promise.  Well I hope you enjoyed.  Please review!)


	4. First Lessons in Fan Distraction?

(A/N: I lied in my profile.  Well, I took today's snow day to write Chapter 4 of this wonderful story.  Guess what?  Some other Chrono Cross characters are going to show up in this chapter.  Disclaimer is the same as always.  Who cares about it anyway?)

Chapter 4: First Lessons in Fan Distraction?

"That's all your carrying?" questioned Rhonda from the doorway.

I looked at her and shrugged.  My bag already contained 10 sandwiches, 3 canteens of water, 4 boxes of matches, and some healing elements along with sketch paper and sharpened pencils for the lesson.  What else did I need?  We were only going for 3 days.

Grabbing my bag deftly with one hand, she ripped it open, shoveling out all the items inside.  As she repacked the bag, she threw in 3 more sandwiches, forks and knives, napkins, another set of clothes, and a blanket.  Why a blanket?  She soon answered that question herself.

"You don't expect to be sleeping at the inn, do you?" she said.  Honestly, I thought we would.  Isn't Arni only a few miles from the beach?  It wouldn't be too expensive, definitely not with his high-class living.  "Van's a strange guy," she added.  "He doesn't like people a lot, though for some reason he's opened up to you."

I was a bit surprised.  Van seemed like a crazy guy, full of energy and ready to attack me with his witty comments.  I would think that he would not have much trouble socializing, even with the horrible introductions at the beginning.

"I don't know what you did to him, but he's suddenly become a monster!" she exclaimed, dramatically waving her hands outward.  I laughed, and so did someone behind me, his alto rumble startling me as I turned around to face a…Van and a monster bag beside him.

"I mean, look at the amount of stuff he carries," she said, setting my bag beside his.  "He didn't believe that 15 sandwiches would be enough for the trip.  He's eating and expending energy at such a rate that we could go broke really soon," she sighed, faking depression.

"Oh, come on, Rhonda, don't be so mean!" Van responded.  "I can't control my roller coaster appetite."

"But you're 18 already!  You're supposed to be a man," countered Rhonda.  It was the perfect opportunity to jump in.

"He's no man," I said.  "He's such a coward, allowing a girl 4 years younger than him to beat him up."  I pretended to pummel him with a display of fists.  He pretended to be hurt, and put a hand to his chest dramatically.

"You wound me.  Now all I can do is lie my monstrous body on my monstrous bag," wailed Van as he sank down onto his bag, which seemed…nice and comfy?

"You suck," I said, pretending to punch him.  "Just how much of your bag is fluff?"

"How about 95%?" replied Van with a smirk.

This time I punched him, real hard, right in his stomach.

*****

"I hate going up slopes," I complained as we traveled across the rocky terrain of Fossil Valley.  On the side of the pathway worked some geologists, studying the rocks and bones of the creatures that had lived before.  I personally think that it would be a boring job…digging through rocks all the time.  To know that the chance you will discover anything important is very slim and still do the job…that definitely wouldn't be me.  I need some sort of gratification regularly or I'd probably give up.

"Hate this place too," Van agreed.  "It always looks the same to me."  Whoa…and I thought Van would come up with some crazy "artistic" explanation for why this place should be appreciated.  Guess he isn't as far off from me as I thought.

We waved to the geologists, some who didn't even notice us and others who scowled at us, as we passed by them.  One man was bothered enough to ask, "What are you two kids doing here?"

"Field trip," said Van plainly after a while, not straying his eyes from the path.  The man tried to look at Van's face, but Van's bangs covered his face, and he didn't look up once as the man was scrutinizing him.

"You look like that boy my daughter has on her wall.  Van Dillogne, wasn't it?  I don't see how she can like such an artist like him, not even mature yet, but he does have quite a bit of a fortune already…"

"We're just passing through.  Going to Arni, which we hope to reach sometime soon," I interrupted, smiling.  "We're sorry for bothering you."

I think I caught the man off guard, for his rambling came to a sudden halt as he looked towards me.  He then looked back at Van, who still wasn't looking at him, and glared at him.  After a second, he said, "Okay, just making sure."

After we were a comfortable distance away from them, Van stopped walking for a moment.  "What?" I asked, even though I knew he was going to say something anyway.

"I don't like him," he stated, with little emotion behind it.  I think that was obvious.  So what?  I didn't feel the need to say anything, and neither did he, so we stayed silent for a while.  Then he started walking again, with longer and quicker strides, like he needed to get somewhere.  I almost had to run to keep up with him.  Finally, when the ridges of bone seemed to cease and the grass began, he plopped down and sighed.

"Lunch time," he said, smiling.  Then in a swift motion, he ripped open his bag and grabbed one of the sandwiches.  I took more time, but my actions were the same.  Wow, Rhonda even made sandwiches taste good.

No one talked until we were both sufficiently filled.

*****

"So what exactly am I going to do on this 'field trip'?" I asked Van, who was lying in the grass with his head resting on his bag.

"You're going to lie in the sand and get a suntan," said Van with that sarcastic mouth of his.  I mean, it was so evident that he was being sarcastic that he might as well call me "stupid" or "blockhead".

"No really, what will I be doing?" I asked in earnest.  He pretended that he was thinking really hard, which made me want to beat him.  He was purposely doing this so that I would have to beg him for the answer, but I would not give in.  I just stared at him, well more like glared at him, for a minute or so before he replied.

"You're going to distract my fans while I try to paint a picture of the beach," he said.  Was he lying again just to spite me?  I looked at him with a "I doubt you" kind of look, and it seemed like he was winning the battle, with a blank look to match it.

Until he just started laughing.  "Well, also I'm going to teach you to sketch landscapes," he added.  So that might be why he took me to the beach.  I heard that it's a really pretty sight, with the cleanest sand and water in all of El Nido.  I wonder if the water looks as blue as the site from Van's balcony.  If it was better, I couldn't wait to see it.

"But first we should get up and reach Arni Village," said Van.  "We've rested long enough."

In one quick motion, he was on his feet and going down the grassy plain.  He didn't even wait for me to gather my stuff, that bastard.

*****

The afternoon sun was beating down on us when we saw the signs of the buildings of the village.  It definitely had the "village" air…kind of like Guldove in a way.  The smell of fish being roasted over a fire filled my nostrils as the town was only a few thousand meters away from us.  It wasn't very big…it had an inn, an item shop, some other houses, and a harbor/port of sorts.  My town had more of a trade-based economy, with lots of goods coming back and forth from Termina and other cities of Porre.  This town seemed more self-sufficient.

As we entered the town, Van and I made as little noise as possible, but it didn't help at all.  Just one tiny girl noticed us, and it sent her scurrying to her babysitter.  "Leena!" she cried.  "It's a…weird stranger!"  The young girl hugged the young woman's leg as the woman looked at us.  Then, as if someone struck her, she suddenly gasped.

"You're…Van Dillogne, am I correct?" said the woman.  Van looked a bit uncomfortable as he nodded affirmatively, trying to avoid the woman's stare.  But the woman soon turned her attention back to the girl, who had also begun staring at Van.

"It's okay, dear," said the woman, patting the girl's head.  "He's a famous artist, and not out to get you."

"Famous?" the girl questioned tentatively at first.  But then as if the word's meaning struck her, she squealed, "Famous!  I met someone famous!"

The woman looked apologetic as she hauled the girl away from the scene.  I could tell that Van was a bit embarrassed…the heat was enough to fry me.  Though it seemed one problem was taken care of, another one soon came.  This time it was a flock of girls, ready to grab and tear Van into shreds.  Van gave me a "help me" look as he searched for a place to flee to.  I didn't know what to do, but seeing him drop his fluffy bag and sprint off somewhere to the left, I decided I would block them somehow.  It was hard to think especially when the crowd of girls was about to attack me.  As they closed in on me, I saw that it wasn't me they were after but the bag.  I must keep the bag, I thought.  So the only thing I could think of was to pick it up, and swat the closest girl with it.

It got her attention away for a while, but that was only temporary.  My brain was freezing up.  I decided for now that it would be best to get out of here.  I whirled my way down the left path, beyond some kind of arch thing (I didn't see it, but I did see its shadow).  While I was spinning in circles half the time (to see my opponents) and running (away from them, of course), I noticed Van come back outside, probably wondering what happened to me.  With one big thrust, I threw his bag into his arms, which he grabbed and quickly went back inside.  But now I didn't have anything to protect my self with…

"Halt!" cried a loud, booming, male voice.  Immediately the girls (and a few guys?) stopped in their path.  I looked up to find an old man, who actually wasn't as tall as his voice suggested.  He had a white beard, wrinkled face, and carried a stick, but he wasn't frail at all.  He still showed off some muscular strength, even with his thin arms and legs.  He had this air of leadership, which I could not even deny.  He then looked at me, and motioned for me to go inside the house that Van was in.

"Wow, that was quite a show you put on out there," he remarked, chuckling.  Though he looked at both Van and me, I could tell that he was referring to my "dance" outside.  "I'm impressed."

"Yeah…" I breathed, still panting from before.  Van better make up for this waste of energy with food or something, because I'm hungry.  The old man scanned me from head to toe.  It seemed like he was searching for something, which he soon gave up and finally asked.

"I know you're Van Dillogne," he said, looking at Van, "but I don't recognize this young lady here."

"She's Mel," answered Van.  "She's my new student."

I beamed with the honor of being called Van's student.  "Nice to meet you, sir," I said to the old man, putting out a hand.

He shook it firmly, and chuckled.  "Radius is just fine."  He walked towards a table, where there were enough seats for the three of them.

"Please sit down.  It's been a while since I've had guests," said Radius.  I followed Van's lead and sat across from Radius.  Wow…I can't believe how good this feels.  My feet ached pretty badly, and I was SO tired…

"Why don't you stay for supper?  It would be my pleasure," Radius added.  Van and I both agreed.

"I don't know if I want to face the mass of people outside right now," said Van, and I agreed.  Plus, I wouldn't be able to get out this chair for a while anyway.

"That too," added Radius.  "At least you don't attract the crowds that Serge and Kid do when they decide to pay Arni a visit."

Serge and Kid…they seemed so familiar.  Oh yeah, I think I know where I heard their names…my brother mentioned them.  They came to Guldove once for some kind of fighting exposition or something, and Korcha was so hung up on Kid's looks for the rest of the month.  I think he was more obsessed that I was with Van…or not.  Well, he didn't obsess as long, but that's not the point…

Anyway, it seems like Van knows a bit about them too.  While I lost myself into my thoughts, Van immediately began talking about them with Radius.  And now I would have to find a place to jump in the conversation…

"…I've heard that Kid has quite a group of admirers too…"

"…yeah and Serge somehow keeps them from breaking into his home…"

Maybe it wouldn't be so easy.  I just relaxed, and watched them change the subject from them to Van and then other outside affairs.  It would take too much energy to think.

By the way, where's the food?  I'm about to faint from hunger here, you know!

I yawned.  I think I'm going to fall asleep before the food comes…

(A/N: Sorry, didn't know that I would end up putting Serge and Kid together.  Well, actually I don't know myself if they are "together" as in "couple", but it's not going to be Serge x Leena.   By the way, I'm sure Radius is somewhat out of character, but you should expect if Mel and Van are out of character, he would be too.  And I really don't know what kind of job Serge and Kid have right now, but remember that this story is set in a somewhat alternate universe, so anything can happen...well almost.  Lastly, if you have read this far, please review!  Any comment is appreciated, so I know that someone is reading this fic…)


	5. The REAL First Lesson

(A/N: I know this story sucks and it's too slow-paced and everything, but I don't care that much.  Well I'm thinking that there needs to be more action, and Mel and Van are becoming more and more out of character.  Oh well.  Disclaimer as always…don't sue me for not writing it in because I'm tired of it!)

Chapter 5: The REAL first lesson

Whoever is pounding on the door is way TOO LOUD for the middle of the night.  Huh…it's 3 AM?  Why, I'm going to kill you…Van…

"I know, Mel.  Put down that pillow.  We've got to head to the beach before the crowds come," said an all too perky Van for this early in the morning.  I swear I see two of him, one standing impatiently over me and one about to tickle me…Ah his fingers…

"Ouch!  You're still strong even though you're tired!" exclaimed Van after I punched him.  But he seemed to be staring at me for some reason…  Oh yeah, I'm in my underwear right now…PERVERT!

I smacked him far past the door and into the hallway.  Then I slammed the door before he could even blink and dug for my clothes.  Hey, it wasn't my fault that I was in my underwear only because it was too hot to sleep with more on.  He should have known that.  And to not even let the girl change before entering her room…is a MAJOR CRIME!  I'm going to get him soon…

Anyway, back to my task.  I found the bathing suit that Rhonda had packed neatly into my bag along with my discarded T-shirt and shorts from yesterday.  They still were okay…hey, it's not like I want to carry around multiple sets of clothes.  I don't get any mercy when I'm with Van.

Neatly making the bed and tying my sack, I opened the door to find Van obviously gone.  He was waiting in the kitchen, where Radius had left us some food that I quickly stuffed in before our departure.  He had also left a note that wished us a good day, which was appreciated.  I mean, I wouldn't wake up to bid farewell to two crazy kids who decide to wake up before sunrise to go to the beach.  He's an old man, an awesome old man, and he deserves sleep.

After sneaking quietly out of Arni, we headed down to Lizard Rock.  The landscape was a bit unpleasant to the feet as the name implied, but it was pretty sandy too, obviously because we were closing on to the beach.

"Stupid Sand Squirt," I muttered as we encountered another one along the way.  After a hit from my boomerang, the poor monster fell over.  Van and I were lucky enough that the monsters around here were quite easy.  Plus a bonus was the fact that it was still dark outside, and much of the wildlife was not up until sunrise.  Now if Van didn't have to go against the laws of nature and wake me up at this unnatural hour, then I wouldn't have a problem running into these stupid monsters because I would be able to spot them.  I was glad those Kodomo dragons were not awake yet.  They weren't too hard either, but just annoying when their claws latched onto skin.  And I heard that if you kill too many of the young Kodomos, Mama Kodomo comes out and gets you.  Korcha told me a while ago that Serge faced it by himself once, and he almost died.  But then he had just begun to train, Korcha added.

I had Van, but that wouldn't help.  He's too much of a coward to protect me.  Plus he's lazy, and would make me face it anyway.  So much for extra help…

"Ah…" he yelped.  It looks like Mr. Dillogne has tripped over a few rocks.  Well, his knee seems to be bleeding.  I fished in his bag for bandages, and after pulling out three blankets I found a First Aid kit.  Wrapping a cloth around his knee, I let him stuff the blankets back in while I secured the bandage on with tape.  Helping him up, I took his hand, which was warm, and together we walked as he dealt with the pain in his knee.  I think he faked some of the pain just so he could lean on me and burden me with his weight.

I wanted so bad to kick him as he smirked at me.  But then I would have to carry him and his monstrous bag, which I rather not do.  All I could do was to stumble on.

Well at least when he held onto me he was treated to the jerkiest ride ever.

*****

We were at the beach now and the sun still hadn't rose yet.  I guess Van overestimated the time it would take to get here.  Oh well, I guess I could take a nap before the sunrises…  I stretched out in the sand with my shoes off on top of my blanket and yawned.  I rolled over to my side, the usual way I slept, and closed my eyes.  What I didn't expect was someone's fingers playing with my hair.

"Van?" I mumbled, rolling over to look at him.  He had this weird kind of look on his face, almost as if he was caring for me like a father would.  It was kind of scary, to see that kind of look on his face, but soon the look was replaced with a smile.

"Go back to sleep," he whispered, lightly pushing me over.  I rolled back to my side and became comfortable once again.  Then the strangest thing happened.

Van hummed.  It was the lullaby that I'm sure his mother must have taught him because my mother taught me it too, though I forgot its name.  He had a sweet voice, which was nicely in tune.  I could feel my lids closing as if a fairy pressed them closed.  The last touch I remember was that of the blanket being placed gently over me.  Then I entered the dream world, where I had the weirdest dream in days.

*****

_It was sunrise at the beach.  There were three of us at the beach: Van, Korcha, and me.  For some reason Korcha was carrying his fishing rod and swished it angrily in the water.  Van and I were having a competition on who could swim the fastest in the water.  Of course I was winning by a lot, kicking water into Van's mouth most of the time.  Suddenly we both heard a yelp and Korcha started sinking through the sand.  We quickly rushed back to shore to find the sand halfway up his body.  But when I reached out to grab his hand, I felt myself sinking along with him.  To my right I saw Van experiencing the same thing.  The three of us screamed, but no one came.  The sensation was weird.  Before my head was even covered with sand I felt air at the bottom of my toes.  Soon enough we were falling through the clouds and landed, with no spectacular explosion or anything, on another beach that looked exactly like Opassa._

_"Feeling okay?" asked the woman who stood above me.  But to my surprise I saw a blond haired girl with a dagger and a short red jacket and pants.  Wasn't this Kid?  But she looked younger than usual.  Then I looked at Van and Korcha, and they too seemed a lot smaller.  I was even smaller myself, so that I was about 10 years old now.  Around us stood lots of people that I didn't recognize._

_"Remember this experience?" she asked the three of us, who clearly had confusion spread over our faces.  "There were two worlds once upon a time: parallel worlds that were connected by this beach.  We had quite an adventure, the 40 or so of us that gathered and fought."_

_I looked around a bit.  I recognized some people: Ma, Orhla, Doc, Lord Viper and his daughter, the 4 Devas, and even Radius who I had just met yesterday.  Others varied from a tiny alien to a large-hand seaman.  What a weird group.  I couldn't even understand how I could have made up half these people in my mind.  Anyway, it looked like she was leading us somewhere.  I followed the group and she took us to some secluded place on the beach.  There we saw the massive body of a monstrous thing.  It was red and had lots of spikes on the surface.  It didn't have a head, but instead there was a big opening.  I wondered for a moment what the head would have looked like, but I couldn't imagine anything fitting.  While I was off in a daze, Van nudged me.  I noticed as a file of people went inside.  Wait, went INSIDE?  Why would we do that?_

It looked like Kid was giving some kind of tour of the thing.  She pointed out the different structures of the creature's body, like the heart, the lungs, the stomach, etc.  Van and I were lagging behind, because it was sort of creepy to be walking in someone's carcass and seeing everything from the inside.  When I walked passed the heart, I suddenly heard a noise.  It seemed like a grunt, like the animal was coming alive again.  Then the whole group seemed to vanish, except for Van.  The body suddenly started to move, and Van grabbed on to my hair…

*****

"Ahhh!" I yelped as I felt my hair being tugged out.  "Van, what are you doing with my hair?" I screamed.

"Oops, sorry," said Van with a smile.  It looked like he was combing it or something, with the way his fingers were stuck in my hair.  Hey, it's not my fault that I had knots.  Anyone who had my hair would know that it never stayed untangled for long.

"You have really long hair," commented Van as he finally pulled his fingers through the tangled mess.  I sat up and attempted to straighten the unruly hair, all while he watched me comb it.  Finally I gave up.  He took this opportunity to pull on my hair once again, harder than necessary, as he untangled it for me.  Once I had lost all feeling in my head, he finished.  Then he looked at his reflection in the water, which was perfect as usual, and turned back to me.

"Let's get this lesson started, okay?" he said.  I agreed.  It was really pretty right now, with the sun rising and reflecting reds and oranges in the water.  It was also a relief to actually see some sunlight after traveling crazily while it was still dark, ahem Van.  I dug through my bag for some paper and pencils, which weren't too hard to do.  It looks like he brought his whole box of color pencils, which probably accounted for 4% of the non-fluff in his bag.  I couldn't even imagine 20 different shades of orange until now.  How does he even decide which one to use?  I think I would have a hard time.

Anyway, back to the sketch paper.  I had a whole hour to try mastering this, but it seems like it would take forever.  I held the pencil in my hand, waiting for his instructions.  He had his own sketch pad which he was testing his colors on.  I had to poke him before he remembered that I was waiting for him.

"Oh!  Well, I guess you should first try making strokes like this," he said, seeming to make a random swish-like stroke on the paper.  I couldn't see how this helped to make the picture of the ocean, but I tried it anyway.

"Good," he said after watching me do some strokes.  "Art should be the expression of the soul.  If you can relate something about yourself into your piece of art, it will have more meaning and other people will appreciate it more."

I watched as he demonstrated some "expression of the soul" on his piece of sketch paper.  I noticed that he had sketch some sort of round circle which he was starting these lines from and randomly outward.  And the colors of the lines were strangely familiar.  It was similar to…my hair.

"Why are you sketching my hair?" I asked as I watched him continue to make strokes on the paper.  He turned to me and smiled.

"You're just as wild as the sea, you know," he responded.  I didn't know if that was an insult or a compliment.  His smile was kind of odd, quirked upwards in the corner, and his eyes were kind of teasing me.

So I decided to smack him.

*****

The sun had risen quite a bit.  I didn't realize that in only half an hour that the sun could move from level with the horizon to…not level with the sun.  Anyway, I had already started working on adding the red to the water which was now more bluish when Van stopped me.

"Good enough for now," he told me.  "Let's take a swim."

I was glad I put on my suit underneath before coming here.  I wouldn't want to strip in front of him.  As I changed out of my T-shirt and shorts, he took of his T-shirt and dove in.

"Hurry up!  It's nice in here," he said, splashing around.  I quickly threw my shirt and shorts by my bag and ran into the water.  Oh…it was a bit cold.  I shivered a bit, but in a matter of seconds I was swimming like a mermaid.

"Darn, I thought she gave you the two-piece," muttered Van as he came up for a breath.  He looked so hot with his hair wet and his chest exposed.  He did have muscles, not like a muscular man did, but enough to look healthy.  I wanted, for some reason, really badly to touch the skin.  But there were more important things to do, like splash Van for one.  And hit him for the comment he had just made.

"Of course not!  She understands that a girl wants some bit of covering to protect her from…crazy young men who peak at girls when they are in their underwear only…" I responded.  Suddenly he grabbed me into his arms.

"You're still hot with the one-piece," he whispered into my ear.  Then he released me just as suddenly and swam away.

Okay, so what was that?  I guess I have to chase him to find out.

(A/N: My random muse decided on that dream to be inserted into the story.  It kind of writes the story for me without any sort of plan.  So how did you like it?  Please tell me…I want more than just the two reviews I have right now.)


	6. Unexpected Visitor

(A/N: Thank you, third reviewer.  I think I have more fun writing the story than people do reading it.  Anyway, this is Chapter 6.  Guess who are showing up this chapter?  Read to find out.)

Chapter 6: Unexpected Visitor

Splashing someone is fun.  Playing tag in the water is fun.  Lying on the sand and taking naps are fun.  Being poked by Van is not fun.

I groaned after being awakened early from my nap.  SOMEBODY can't seem to keep his hands to himself.  Oh, well it looks like the daily crowd of bored girls and guys are about to ravage the beach, so Van wants to hide.  Come on, take it like a man, Van!  Don't let some obsessed fans get to you.

I must admit, the corner that we both squeezed into was a bit uncomfortable.  I was sitting awfully close to Van…so close that I could feel his breath.  Wow…just to think that a few days ago this act would have made me faint with happiness.  Now that I knew his true self, no cuddling was going to cause me to swoon anymore…

Well, at least not as much.  I could have been blushing, but I also could have been hot.  For all I know, I was red.  I felt sweaty, I felt dry, and I just wanted to scream.  As the people finally distracted themselves with games of beach volleyball, sandcastle building, swimming, etc., I was finally able to shift a bit.  And I found the perfect spy hole.

Not that I actually was going to learn anything quite important.  No illegal acts, crimes, or important transactions would happen on a beach.  But I could see a couple heavily making out (GROSS!), two girls raving about how hot Glenn was, and another kid ready to dump a pail of sand on his buddy's head.  So absorbed that I was in watching that I didn't expect my body to suddenly jerk backwards from the hand of a curious Van.

"Hey what are you looking at…eww!  I thought you said I was perverted!" exclaimed Van as he took a peak through the hole.  I guess he saw the couple or something else…

"I didn't expect you to be one looking at porn," added Van.  Porn?  "A naked guy?  Come on, Mel.  He doesn't even look half as good as me."

I easily smacked him in the face.  "Naked guy?  He probably was there posing for you, because I didn't see no naked guys," I replied.  "Maybe he was trying to appeal to your gay side," I joked.

"Gay side?  Are you accusing me of being homosexual?" said Van incredulously.  I laughed at him.  His face was so flushed from our verbal war, and I knew he was thinking that I found his "gayness" to be funny.  Of course that wasn't the case.  I swear that pounds of ice could not possibly cool down that face of his.

"No…" I said, dragging the word out a bit.  "But some guys think that you might like men."  I thought of those men in Arni and giggled harder.  I think the two of us were too loud by then, and the couple who had been on the other side of the rock had discovered us and moved.  Well good for them.  Get a room, for the sake of innocent kids (or adults)!  We don't need to watch you guys kiss each other!

"How about we stop talking about this?" said Van as I was still laughing.  I ignored him.

"Van's gay, Van's gay," I whispered, pretending to gossip.  He chased me behind the rocks.  I ran out to the ocean and swam between some people.  They seemed annoyed, but I didn't care.  Van wouldn't dare to come out here…

And I was right.  Jeez, his desire for anonymity overrides his desire to smack me.  It must suck to be him…  I think I would have chosen the latter, but then I don't have crazy fans chasing me around.

Plus he had Rhonda and me to smack him everyday.  Poor Van.

*****

We spent another few hours or so later that day sketching some more.  Well, after I changed and had an early dinner.  The sunset was just as magnificent as the sunrise, but unfortunately it was shared by more people than the sunrise had been.  I mean, can't people think of another place or time to have romantic outings?  I felt like the odd one out, the only person other than Van not engaged in deep make out sessions or romantic blabber.  Not that I would be doing that with Van anyway…

I finally started using the color pencils.  Despite minutes of shading, it was hard to tell that the paper had been colored on at all.  I guess that would eliminate the use of the eraser, which would leave ugly smear marks on the paper.  Plus it was probably some kind of exercise in patience, which I was about to rebel against.  Maybe this was the reason Van was so boring…

"Hey, I heard that!" said Van from behind me.  "That was low, you know."

"Pff, whatever," I muttered.  "You know it is the truth."  He was going to smack me, but I had the pencil to protect me.  As long as I was still working on my picture, he wouldn't touch me, right?  He's not going to screw up my first picture by somehow disorienting me and making me draw stray lines.  He's supposed to be able to sell Mel Hineka's first picture because it is so good…

Suddenly my pencil was taken away from me and my paper seized by Van's hands.  I was surprised by the act, and immediately tried to scramble to my feet.  Van's hands, though, stopped me.

"Relax.  Let me give you a back massage.  It's probably sore from all this sitting and squatting that we've been doing," said Van gently, putting his hands on my back.  It felt weird at first, with his hands tentatively tracing patterns on my back.  Soon his hands were at work, and I could feel all the knots in my back disappear.  Wow, I never thought that he could be a good back massager!  Anyway, after he finished, I ordered him to lay flat.  I would give him a massage, because he really needed one.

"Uhh…" moaned Van as I dug my fingers into his skin.  Man, this guy was tight!  No, I'm not implying anything dirty, thank you very much.  Anyway, he better thank me for this, or else…

"Ahh, thanks Mel," he said as he got back on his feet.  "It's pretty late right now.  Why don't we get some rest now and head back to Termina tomorrow?"

"Good idea," I yawned.  Okay, it was now twinkling with stars.  I estimated that it was about 8 or 9 o'clock from the position of the moon and the lack of people around us.  Well, if they were making out now, at least I wouldn't have to see them.  Who cared if I didn't usually go to bed this early?  I was tired.  This time I headed for my bag and unraveled my blanket.  It was pretty cold right now, and I suspected that it would get colder later.

"Here," said Van a few seconds before a blanket covered me.  I guess he was going to sleep next to me and share the blankets.  Not that I minded it.  I would do many things when I was cold, and sharing a blanket with a crazy guy named Van would be included in that list.  He wasn't that bad…

Anyway, I didn't spend much time thinking about that topic.  I must have been tired, because in a few minutes I was fast asleep.

*****

_What's this?  Someone's hugging me to death and I can barely breathe!  Who is it…Van?  Jeez, I almost had a heart attack.  What's he doing, squeezing me to death in the first place?_  Too bad he's still sound asleep, or I would have asked him these questions.  Meanwhile, I slowly pried his arms from my waist and proceeded to scour my bag for something breakfast-worthy.  I guess a sandwich would work, but what one?  I finally was able to locate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  Unfortunately it was really flattened by the other stuff in my bag, but at least I had the sandwich.

Van was still asleep even after I finished my sandwich.  I guess he was tired.  Now I was bored.  I couldn't leave him here, so that ruled out swimming.  I was horrible at building things, so I wouldn't be making sandcastles.  It was still too dark to work on my picture, so that left me with going back to sleep, eating more, or staring at something.  Since I was strangely not tired and not hungry, I ended up staring at Van.  And thinking about everything that had occurred these past few days…

He sure had changed.  I mean, from that first meeting that assumed that I was some kind of dumb fan girl to the childish games and the word wars.  And then yesterday's statement with the swimsuit, and the comment about me being "as wild as the sea".  I was, in truth, confused.  Then with the massages and the grip he held me in this morning as if he didn't want me to leave.  Was he starting to like me?  Did I like him?  I think I like him, but who knows.  I'm only 14; I don't know a thing about liking people or being in love…  I guess I may be romantic…being so obsessed with Van.  Well, at least until I met him.

I guess I had always envisioned Van to be the perfect prince, with manners, sophistication, and selflessness.  But instead I meet this crazy guy who is cowardly, crazy, selfish, and mean.  Strange enough, I think that this way is better.  I wouldn't deserve a perfect prince anyway.

As I stared at Van, I watched as the wind ruffled his hair, blowing the long bangs over his closed eyes.  He sleeps lightly, the sounds of his breathing covered by the crash of the waves against the shore.  For a moment I wished to touch his hair, but I resisted.  Because I knew that if I did, he would have woken up.  Then a few seconds later, he opened his eyes slowly, rubbing them and noticing I was not sleeping next to him anymore.

"Mel?" he murmured sleepily, kicking the blankets off him.  "Oh, there you are.  Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah.  I guess you can eat and then we can head back now," I replied.  I didn't really feel like talking now.  I guess when it is just two of you on a silent beach it feels awkward to make lots of noise.  Oh well.  I waited for him to wolf down his sandwich before we headed out.  Of course I was forced to roll up the blankets and squeeze them into Van's monstrous bag.  It looked bigger than before.  Probably this means that I lack skills in packing, which is true.

It was now time to trample over the Sand Squirts again.  How fun.

*****

"We're almost there!" I exclaim as we reach Fossil Valley once again.  It was late afternoon and I was glad that we were so close to Termina.  Perhaps we would be able to make it back to Van's home in time for a hot supper cooked by Rhonda.

Van replied, "Yes we are."  Then as we continued walking, we saw a few geologists still at the fossil sites.  "You would think they would go home for once."

"Yeah," I replied.  Then I noticed a guy coming down from one of the cliffs with a Bellflower in his hand.  He definitely was hot…hotter than Van by a million times!  Well, not really a million times, but definitely had the gentlemanly air that Van lacked.  I mean, look at the way he holds the flower.  It's put gently with the thumb and index finger of his left hand.  He walked toward us, and I notice his brownish gear that matched his hair.

"Hello.  What are you two doing here so late in the afternoon?" he asked with a smile.  His voice was smooth like one of a knight.  He probably attracts lots of women, I think.

"We're returning home," replied Van in a fairly warm voice.  I guess he's becoming more sociable, but I'm not positive.  "What about you?"

"Oh, I am about to return home as well.  After I put a Bellflower on my father's grave, though," he answered.  He looked at me and smiled.  "What a lovely lady.  Take good care of her, young one, and she will be good to you."

Van blushed.  "Uh, sir, she's not my girlfriend," he stammered.  It was quite funny how red his face was.  The older man chuckled a bit, but I didn't feel like embarrassing Van further, so I suppressed mine.

"Well, anyway return home soon.  She looks like she is eager to have supper," the man finally said.  He began to walk towards Termina.  He took long and confident strides forward, unhampered by the terrain.

Too bad I didn't look as cool as he did.  Neither of us had fun sliding down the rocky slopes that led us to Termina.  Though at least it was only for a short distance.

*****

"Now we're finally in Termina.  Care to race to my house?" said Van with a grin.  I just groaned.  Man, this guy has high energy at the wrong times!  How can he be so energetic now, after a whole day of travelling?

He laughed at me.  "We should take trips like this more often.  Then you'll be a great athlete," joked Van.  He flexed his pretty non-existent muscles of his arms.  "I bet you can't match that."

"Whatever," I mumbled.  "Let's go, then.  As in walk home," I said, emphasizing "walk".  So Van decides "walk" becomes "brisk walk".  I almost have to run to keep up with him.

"Whoa…look at that!" exclaimed Van, though in a restrained voice.  Up on the bridge a man with reddish hair and a woman with orange hair in long pigtails are kissing, completely lost in each other.  The man looked strangely familiar, and so did the woman…wait…had I seen them on a poster before?  Were these two Nikki and Miki?  He had that black streak in his hair, and she had that tiara on her head.  Wow, I can start some gossip now!  Not that I actually care, though witnessing celebrities kissing each other out in the open is not the most common scene.  Van and I agreed to walk quietly past them so that they can be uninterrupted in their romantic moment.  I guess maybe Van might be a bit romantic himself, or a little considerate.  Whichever one it was, it was something new.

Reaching Van's house, we both hear shouts from the kitchen.  I look carefully into the window, seeing Rhonda and…Korcha?  What the heck was he doing here?

"Eat, boy!  They won't be back until later, so eat now.  Why reject free food anyway?"

"You must promise me that Mel will come home with me first!" shouted my brother, refusing a spoon that was shoved towards his mouth.  Rhonda shook her head.

"I can't do that.  Do you even think about what Mel feels?  Maybe she doesn't want to go back," replied Rhonda in an even louder voice.  

I don't even think about Van before barging inside the house and into the kitchen.  I immediately ran up to Korcha and hugged him, to the surprise of everyone.  Then I punched him.

"Korcha…" I started, but he put a hand over my mouth.  I guess while I was preoccupied with Korcha, Van walked in.  Korcha glared at him, and Van glared back.  It looked quite stupid, and suddenly I began to laugh.

"What's funny?" grumbled Korcha, taking his hand off my mouth.

"You guys look so stupid.  Anyway," I said, putting my hand now over his mouth, "let me just say that I want to stay here for now, okay?"  I kept my hand over his mouth, not allowing him to interrupt, and continued.  "Van has been kind enough to offer to teach me art for free as long as I help with chores.  I think that's a good idea because you and Ma won't need to feed me or provide shelter for me.  Meanwhile, I get experience in art."

"But Mel…" said Korcha when I finally allowed him to speak.  "Ma says…"

"I'll come and visit often, alright?  I was mad at you two for a while, but now I realized that it was pretty stupid," I interrupted.  I looked to Van and asked, "Could I visit Guldove tomorrow?"

"Sure," said Van.  He probably didn't care, so long as this brother of mine wasn't going to tear him to pieces.  My brother was protective, I guess.

Then Rhonda gave a great suggestion.  "Why don't you go with Mel and Korcha to Guldove tomorrow?" she suggested to Van.  "You'll get to meet Mel's mother and clear everything up while you're at it.  And Mel," she said, turning to me, "you can have a free day tomorrow."

I yelped in excitement.  Then turning to Korcha, Rhonda finally said, "Why don't you stay here for the night.  It's too late to head back."

Korcha mumbled in agreement before following Rhonda to another room.  I just looked at Van for a while, before I mumbled, "Goodnight."

Before I left the kitchen, I took one glance backward.  Van was totally staring into space.  Well I guess he has much to think about.  I, on the other hand, am tired and ready to sleep on my white fluffy bed.

(A/N:  It's done.  Very pointless chapter except for the end.  I hoped you enjoyed it anyway.)


	7. Your Ma is Macha

(A/N: Sorry for the long delay.  I hope the chapter makes up for some of it.  Well at least I have some sort of idea of what the plot will be.  Please be patient, because it keeps changing and become more elaborate each time I think about it.  Lots of chapters to go though, that's for sure.)

Chapter 7: Your Ma is Macha

For once it was actually sunny and blue when I woke up this morning.  Guessing that it would be warm today, I put on the tank top and shorts I wore on my first day.  Tiptoeing down the stairs, I saw Korcha in the kitchen wolfing down some sausage and almost choking.  Outside in the backyard Rhonda was hanging clean shirts just as usual.  Patting my brother's back as he coughed, I said nonchalantly, "Hey Korcha."

"Hey Mel," he answered after a huge gulp of juice.  "Is that bastard still coming to our house?"

"I guess so," I said in response, shrugging.  "By the way, where's Van?"  It was odd enough that Van wasn't at the table making sarcastic remarks, but he wasn't even running around the house being hyper.  It was scarily silent in my opinion.

Korcha spent a while thinking meanwhile before saying, "Uh, he probably…"

"Is still sleeping," finished Rhonda, who had just entered.  "Korcha, why don't you explore the town, since you ate all the food," she said as she removed the empty plates from the table.  "I'm going to cook some more food.  And since you," she added, looking at me since my stomach had just growled, "haven't eaten anything yet, you can wake Van so you two can have breakfast together."

I looked at Rhonda with a "please not me" expression but she did not change her expression.  "Oh fine," I said, giving up.  Exiting the kitchen, I ran up the stairs to Van room.  Fun, right?  You must be kidding.  I was sort of dreading the moment.  I mean, what will he think when he realizes he slept in?  He's always been up before me creating havoc or doing something.  Deciding that thinking more about the possibilities would just make me dread the moment more, I knocked harshly against his door and yelled, "Van, get up!"

No sound.  Hmm…  Swinging the door open, I shouted the same thing from the doorway.  Since Mr. Dillogne seemed to be deaf, I went to shake him a bit.  But as soon as I touched his shoulders, he jumped and I was suddenly pinned to the floor, his body pressed uncomfortably against mine.  It was quite awkward, especially with his face so close to me.  I could feel his breath tickling my lips, his hands burning into my shoulders, his legs tangled in mine.  Talk about a reflex!  He almost killed me.  I wonder what he dreams about, to make him so tense.  Does he even sleep well at all?

We stared at each other for a moment before I asked, "Van, could you get up now?"  It was kind of shaky, because I feared any second he would collapse on me.

After a blank look, his lips formed a smirk, wryly saying, "Mel, do you really want me to get up?"  Suddenly his face seemed an inch closer and his lips a bit bigger.  Was he going to kiss me?  I felt like screaming in my surprise, but then I thought might as well let him continue.  It would be my first kiss, and I could brag that it was given to me by the famous Van Dillogne.  Not bad at all.  Besides, it wouldn't hurt, would it?  Though just as I closed my eyes, Rhonda's voice interrupted us.

"Van, Mel, breakfast is ready!" shouted Rhonda from the kitchen.  Soon after those words reached our ears, the smell of sausage and eggs filled our noses.  Immediately Van jumped off me and ran downstairs to the kitchen.  After I could breathe normally for a few seconds I began my chase after him.

"You bastard, Van!" I still shouted though he left some food for me.  It was mostly toast, his greedy mouth already devouring my share of the sausage, which I didn't mind so much because he left me most of the toast.  During the meal we didn't talk at all.  I was hoping some kind of different response to the almost kiss, and the lack of importance of the incident to him made me feel a bit disappointed.  Soon breakfast was over and Van retreated to his room to change his clothes.  I sat outside and continued to think.

What was wrong with me…or him?  Was it just Van's mood swings or something that caused him to not care?  Or was it something wrong with me?  How would I know, since no guy has ever liked me in all my fourteen years.  It would be kind of embarrassing to ask some stranger or one of the girls in my town who had already had boyfriends.  Maybe I just wasn't…

"Mel!" shouted Van as he walked out the front door wearing a dark green short sleeved plaid collared shirt and a pair of baggy khaki shorts.  He was…hot in those clothes, more than in those T-shirts.  Wow…  "There you are.  Have you seen Korcha yet?"

"Oh!  Uh, no…he hasn't come by?" I said with a confused face.  What was going on in Termina that could cause my brother to spend so much time out there?  "Well I guess we should look for him then," I said though we had both concluded that a while ago.  Grabbing Van's hand, I jerked him towards the first stop, Zappa's place.

Walking towards Zippa, who was at the counter as usual, I asked, "Have you seen my brother Korcha?  Reddish hair, kind of skinny, pole user?"

"Yeah," she replied.  "He left a while ago mumbling about beating some 'bastard', but did not say who it was.  I suggested stopping at Lisa's to get some elements if he wanted to battle.  He might have gone there…what are you laughing for?"

Her voice changed as she noticed my uncontrolled giggles.  It was funny how crazy my brother was over protecting me even when he didn't know anything about the other person or what he was trying to protect me from.  "The 'bastard' that my brother is referring to is Van.  Isn't that strange?" I explained.  Van was a bit embarrassed, and became even redder when Zippa gushed how "gentle and kind" he was.

After a bit she calmed down and asked, "So how did Van become a 'bastard'?"  I decided that I would need to end the conversation now so I could find Korcha.

"I'll tell you later, okay?  I really need to find my brother because he's supposed to take me home," I told her, waving to her.  "See you!"  Whipping out the door I headed to my next destination: Lisa's shop.

Panting hard, I opened the door and yelled, "Lisa!"  I probably scared her by being so loud in the morning, but at least she would be awake.

"Mel!" she greeted excitedly.  "How are you?"  I didn't care for the greetings and decided to rush to the point.

"Have you seen my brother Korcha?  Red-haired, skinny, with a pole?" I asked quickly.

"Whoa, Mel," said Lisa slowly.  "Slow down a bit."  After I seemed to relax my breathing, she continued, "Yes I did see Korcha.  He's a bit protective over you isn't he?  Otherwise he seems pretty nice."

"Well I need to know where he is," I stated, though noticing that she quoted him as "pretty nice".

"Uh…he didn't tell me where he was going," she replied.  "He just left and…" Seeing Korcha enter, she added, "Came back."  Turning towards him, she smiled and said, "Welcome back, Korcha."

Pulling something from his pocket, Korcha said quietly, "This is for you, Lisa."  Handing her the Kodomo dragon shell he added, "It was pretty cheap, actually, but it looked nice I thought."  He was a little red even under his tan, but it could not compare to Lisa's crimson blush.

"Th-thank you," she stammered with the shell pressed against her chest.  Then clearing her throat she said, "So Mel, there's Korcha.  You can do whatever you want with him."  She smirked when she saw Korcha glare at her.

"Sure," I replied.  "Well I guess I'll talk to you later.  You have some things you better tell me, you know."

"You too.  I'll look forward to talking to you again.  Bye!" she said, waving as we exited.  I looked to see if Van was still around, since he hadn't said anything the whole time.  He was behind Korcha with a dreamy look on his face.  Man, was he thinking this whole time while Korcha was being romantic to Lisa?  There was some stuff he could have learned there…maybe.

"Why don't we head to Guldove now since we are all here?" I suggested after noticing both pairs of eyes on me.  The other two nodded.  Leading us through the rapidly crowding streets was Van, who kept rather calm despite the loud shouting and the shoving by the people in the streets.  As we approached the dock, the source of the crowds became apparent.  Nikki and the Magical Dreamers were going to give a short, free concert on top of their ship.  As Van tried to sneak around the crowd, one of the guards told us that all access to the port was temporarily closed until the concert ended.  So all we could do is listen, since there was nothing else to do.

I'm not a crazy fan of the group and it wasn't breathtaking or anything, though they were good.  The show was nice too, with Miki and the other two girls dancing and such.  My brother was staring at Miki most of the time, which didn't surprise me.  What did was the fact that Van mumbled to himself during the whole concert.  I don't know what he was mumbling about, but it seemed constant.  I, however, tried to see everything going on, but with an edge view of the stage it was kind of hard.  I opted to watch Nikki's hands with the guitar most of the time, which seemed most interesting to me.  It was cool.  Plus he was the only hot guy up there, so who else could I look at?

After an hour or so, the show finally concluded.  As we ran towards Korcha's raft, we saw a bunch of girls around it.

"Can you give us a ride to Nikki's ship?  Please?" begged the girls, some latching unto Van's arm.  Looking uncomfortably towards us, Van tried not to antagonize the girls but not encourage them either.  Thankfully Korcha saved us by his shouting and cleared the way for us to hop unto the boat and takeoff before some obsessed girl grabbed on.  It was quite sad how the girls screamed at us, but we didn't care.  Making myself comfortable, I sat in the back and watched as Termina disappeared from my view.  About halfway out a sudden question occurred to me.

"Hey Korcha, how were you able to recover your boat?  Or is this one not yours?" I asked, remembering how I used his boat to come to Termina but never returned it.

"One of my fishing buddies gave me a ride to Termina in exchange for a bit a money.  Though I recovered that by catching a few fish and selling that," replied Korcha, still looking towards Guldove.  After some silence, he asked a question of his own.  "So Mel, how long do you plan to stay in Termina?"

"Hmm…I don't know," I truthfully responded.  How long would it take to become a master painter?  Nah, that was out of the question.  How about becoming a good painter?

"Mel has been learning really fast, so maybe a year or two and she'll be pretty good," Van said as if reading my mind.  A year or two?  That was quite an optimistic view.

"Just think of it as going to school almost like the rich people do.  I think a year or two will be all, because by then I'll be sixteen and ready to earn my own living," I decided.  Wow, I didn't think about saying that before I began speaking.  Maybe I shouldn't think so much and I'll sound more eloquent.

"Yeah…" sighed Korcha.  "Well, it's your decision.  I think you can make a good one."  He seemed at a lost of words, and I knew he was trying to say how I've changed in just a few days.  It must feel weird to not call your sister a "brat" or a "young girl" anymore.  But then I don't have a younger sibling…

This little conversation was the only things said during the whole boat ride.  How exciting, I know.  Oceans sure are big, though.

*****

We pulled in with a large crowd around the docks.  It seemed that Nikki and his group were coming here as part of their tour, since the same type of screamers were forcing everyone else off the dock.  We managed to get out the boat with the help of one of Korcha's fishing buddies.  Though it didn't help that Van was as much a celebrity as Nikki was.

"Oh my god!  That's…Van Dillogne!  OH MY GOD!" screamed one of the loudest girls.  Everyone seemed to turn their heads in our direction and scan for him.  Van looked as if he wanted shrink to the size of a mouse and scurry between their shoes.  It was so obvious that even Korcha, who was busy chatting with his buddy, saw it and decided to help him out.  After Korcha created his diversion, which consisted of screaming some random stuff which I didn't care to figure out, Van grabbed my arm and we went sprinting towards the bar.  I heard some gasps as some of the girls recognized me.  I bet they were surprised I was running around with some hot guy, since most of them laughed at how I've never had a boyfriend.

"Sorry Orlha," I gasped as I barged inside her bar, almost tripping on one of the chairs.  "I need to hide this guy from crowds…so can you do that for me?"

Orlha, whose bar was empty during the afternoons usually, had been setting up for the incoming crowds.  "Ask Doc," she said to me.  "He's back there."

Going through the side door, we found that Doc was reading a book on medicine, but otherwise was free.  "Hey Doc," I greeted, and he nodded to me.  "This guy needs to escape those crowds outside of screaming fan girls.  Any ideas?"

Doc smiled.  "Under the bed you two," he said, lifting the blankets and shoving us underneath.

Now I'm stuck in a dark, cramped place with Van again.  What luck.

*****

"I think it's safe to leave now," said Van after half an hour passed.  "They probably don't know where we are anymore, so let's go to your house."

"Uh…sure," I replied.  "There's not much to see there, but you can come anyway."  Crawling out from under the bed first, I accidentally banged my head against the bottom of the bed.  "Ow!" I cried.  Van scrambled out after me and rubbed the spot of the impact.

"Maybe this will make it feel better," he said, touching his lips to the spot.  I glared at him, only because he was trying to make me feel like a child.  Though the action was nice…

We then crept out the bar, waving to Doc and Orlha as we walked to my home.  Running attracts attention, Van told me.  I was too lazy to run anymore today anyway.  It took so long it seemed just to get to my home.  When I entered, I found that my Ma had left to see the concert.  After reading the note, I started laughing for some reason.  Maybe she was one of the people that was screaming out there.  "Well, I guess you can't meet Ma yet, Van," I said.  "So…might as well show you my room then."

Climbing down the ladder, I showed him my small but messy room.  He looked and was surprised by the picture I had of him.  But I looked around and became angry.  Ma sold my favorite picture!  What about all that money I saved just to buy it?

"Mel," Van said suddenly, and I turned to face him.  He was holding up an attempt to copy his self portrait.  "It's not so bad.  Why don't I teach how to draw parts of the body next?  Because your lines aren't so bad…"  He held up the sheet I did to practice straight and curved lines.  "Then you can draw me."

"Sure," I said.  "But now that I know you, why would I want to draw you?" I said slyly.  He glared at me.  I mentally laughed at him.  Score!

"So what do we want to do next?" said Van, changing the subject.

"Well you can give me another lesson right now while we wait for Ma, since it might be a while," I replied, thinking of my mother trying to push towards the front to see Nikki up close.

"Uh Mel?  You need to pay attention to learn, you know," said Van after waiting a bit for me to stop thinking and start grabbing my supplies.  It's easy to guess what I did next.  Of course I glared at him.

*****

It had been an hour or so, because I heard my mother come in with fish for dinner.  Not knowing both Van and I were here, she began to cook.  When it started to smell a bit, I remembered that fact and climbed up to tell her.  Hearing the noise from underneath, she thought I might be some kind of thief.  Then when she saw me she gasped in surprise, and soon I was squeezed to death.

"Oh my god, Mel," she said with some tears.  "You're back!"  I hugged her in return, but did not cry.

"Yeah Ma I'm here," I said.  "And I brought my teacher with me too."  Looking down the ladder I shouted, "Hey Van!  Get up here!"

Van scrambled up right at my command.  It made me feel quite powerful.  Anyway, Ma was examining Van head to toe.  It made him a bit nervous, but she soon broke into a cheery welcome.  I could sense Van relaxing more as she asked him some of the typical questions, like where are you from and how old are you.  Then when Ma signaled for me to leave, probably because of some private questions she wanted to ask, I left and went outside.  I frowned as I noticed the sunset was not as pretty as on the beach or from Van's balcony.  Maybe I'll ask Van if he'll let me go out on his balcony sometime.

"Hey Mel what are you doing out here?  And where's Van?" asked Korcha as he saw me outside alone.  I guess he had a great time or something, because he looked quite happy.  Wonder what he did…

"Well Ma is talking to Van about some personal stuff.  They should be done soon," I said.  When after a minute or so it was clear that Ma would never stop asking questions, Korcha and I silently agreed to barge inside together.

"Who's there…oh it's you Korcha," said Ma as she was interrupted by our noise.  Before she could say more, Korcha gave her his cash.

"Ma, why don't we have dinner now," Korcha said.  He seemed kind of tired, and he was soon sitting on the floor.  I plopped down next to him.  Though Van wasn't as exhausted it seemed.

"You know, Korcha," he said quietly, "you were really nice today.  Thank you for dealing with the crowds and such.  I'm…just a very shy person and the amount of people kind of overwhelm me."

Korcha smiled, and then put his hand out.  "Sorry for bashing you.  You're actually a pretty cool person.  Want to shake hands and start again?"

Van also smiled and put his hand in Korcha's.  After a firm shake, he said, "Deal."

It was nice and quiet for the rest of the time before and during dinner.  Ahh…so much better then screaming all the time.  Those girls probably damaged my ears…

*****

"You're not staying?" asked Ma as Van and I waved her goodbye.  Van had wanted to return home before the next day, and though it was dark, Van insisted that he knew his way home from the stars.  I wasn't so sure, but Ma trusted him, so I guessed it would be okay.

Van replied, "No, Mrs. Hineka…"

"Please call me Macha," said Ma, interrupting him.  "That's what everyone else not related to me calls me."

Van looked a little nervous when he replied.  "Sure," he said.  "I guess we better go now then, Mel."  Taking my hand, we were soon out the door.

"What about a boat?" I asked him, thinking he didn't have one.  He just smiled at me.

"Do you know why there's always an empty boat?  It's owned by this one man who makes boats for rent.  We'll be using that," said Van, reaching into his pockets.  "Well I have plenty to pay for it."  After we reached the dock, Van went to pay the man and secured the boat.  "So let's go now, Mel," he urged, allowing me to step into the boat first.

We started kind of shaky, but soon the boat was stable and Van was paddling our way to Termina.  Though when land was kind of far away, he suddenly stopped paddling.  I could not think of why he would do that, and it must have been apparent on my face.

"Mel," he said, turning to me and trying to smile despite being a bit nervous, I could sense.  "I know I wasn't really nice to you at first and we haven't known each other for very long but…"

He searched to see my reaction so far.  Not knowing enough, I motioned for him to continue, which he did.  "I really like you and wouldyouliketobemygirlfriend?"  He was blushing crimson as he rushed the last part of the question.  It kind of surprised me that he would ask me that question, but in the middle of my thoughts I remembered that he was waiting for me to respond.

_So what should I say?_  If I said yes, then…well why not try it?  I've never had a boyfriend before, and Van was actually not so bad…  "Um, Van…" I started, waiting for him to fix his eyes upon mine.  "Yes."

He moved closer to me then until we were only an inch apart, pulling me into his arms.  Leaning over to my left ear, he whispered, "Can I kiss you then?"

_Kiss ME?  Wow, two things in one day…_  "Sure," I said.  I had wanted him to kiss me this morning, didn't I?  He slowly and softly placed his lips on mine, and I could feel his arms shift to pull me closer and my hands around his neck.  After a short while, he ended the kiss, only to invite me with his eyes for another one.

Of course I let him kiss me again.  That's what anyone would do.

(A/N: Surprised?  Well I already put in so many hints that they better had gotten together soon.  Plus I didn't feel like dragging out the "just friends" part.  Come on, most of you here want to see them kissing each other and stuff.  Anyway, those who are new or faithful to the story, please review!)


	8. Gifts

(A/N: Some weird stuff happens in this chapter.  It's pretty pointless, except for a few parts important to the plot.  Oh well, please read it anyway.)

Chapter 8: Gifts

Wow…I never knew one month could pass by so fast.

It was about one month ago when I first ran away from home, first met Van, and first became an art student.  In a month I had covered drawing landscapes to people's faces to the essential basics.  Van kept saying that I was naturally talented, but I bet he didn't expect me to practice the skills or something.  I mean, I must have killed many trees the way that I devoured stacks of paper.  And I even used both sides and all four corners.

Well you could just say that I wasn't as tomboyish anymore.  I did go out and run daily, but I spent less time outside in general.  And even though Van and I are a "couple", we barely did anything together.  He was busy working on his next masterpiece while I tried to practice drawing heads.  And since I'm on that subject, I'll tell you my one-month gift.

Yeah, I did say gift.  I'm planning to do a portrait of Van, without his knowledge.  How?  Well I already stole sketches he did of himself for his self-portrait and I also have a copy of the colored portrait in my room.  You know that passageway that was behind the dresser.  Well it seems to be some kind of art storage room for Van.  He keeps a lot of his junk down there.  It's quite fun looking through his stuff, though it took me a couple days to secure those sketches.  I know that he goes to bed early, so after he's asleep I sneak down the stairs to the cobweb room.  Rhonda is the only other person who knows, because she caught me down there.  Of course we keep it a surprise.  Besides, if I can't finish the portrait by that day, then I don't have to give him anything.

So you're wondering what day today actually is?  Well I have three days before the one-month anniversary, so you can do the math if you care.  For me today is the day I'm going to start my final copy.  I've decided on color pencils and an 11 by 14 in. piece of paper.  I've always felt more ease with pencils than with paint, because I can color lightly and gradually work to the color I want, and if I make a mistake, it is much easier to cover it up with some other colors.  Though Van likes to paint more than to use colored pencils.  I guess he didn't transfer his love of paintbrushes to me yet.

"Mel!" shouted Van from outside my door.  "Time for today's lesson!"  Man, I'm not totally awake yet.  I haven't even changed my clothes yet!  And to think that he would have learned by now that I'm not as energetic as he is in the morning…

"Hold on," I shouted back.  "I need to change."  Fumbling through my dresser, I try to decide what to wear today.  Just when I pick out a set of clothes, Van remembers some important information.

"Oh by the way we're going into the forest today, so don't put on anything you want to keep nice," he said.  Bastard.  Well, now I have to go through all my clothes once again…

*****

"Got yourself a boomerang and some good boots?" asked Van as I emerged from my room.  I looked at myself and shook my head.  "Well you can take a pair of my boots, since we'll be walking through some water."  I wonder what kind of forest it is, if it has water on the ground.  Anyway, Van ran towards his storage room of everything (except art, which is in the room behind the dresser).  It must have been half an hour at least before he emerged, which let my doze for a little bit as I waited.  When he finally emerged, the first thing he said was, "Give me your feet."

"What?" I cried, mostly in confusion.  Then when he grabbed my left foot and began to slide on the boot, I understood.  When he finished tying the laces, I stuck out my right foot.

"I've always wanted to do that," said Van as he finished up tying my other boot.

That statement took me by surprise, and I began to laugh.  "You've wanted to put shoes on other people?" I asked.  There goes Van acting weird again.  I wonder how he was raised, because most "normal" people wouldn't say that.

"Not that!" exclaimed Van in embarrassment.  "I mean…I wanted…to act like a prince.  You know…like Prince Charming in Cinderella.  Damn it, it's so hard to explain."  For some reason, seeing him frustrated and such was hilarious.  He glared at me as I continued my laughing.

"Well," I finally choked out.  "That's certainly wasn't expected."  I mean, for being such a bastard to me at the beginning, who would have expected it?  "Well then am I your princess?" I asked slyly, implying that he wasn't good enough to be a prince.

"Uh…no," replied Van.  "You're not that nice…wait, are you saying that I'm not a prince?"  The guy finally figures it out.  And to think he has had 4 more years of experience with the language than I have had…

"Of course," I said.  Then seeing Rhonda busily working outside still while we had had our mindless chatter, I added, "We should probably get moving now, right Van?"

"Yeah," he replied.  Well now let's see if I can actually walk in these boots.  Uh oh…Van!

"What?" he exclaimed right before I crashed into him.  Catching me in his arms, he whispered into my ear, "So I guess this is an excuse for me to hug you, right?"

"Yeah.  And you can carry me all throughout the forest too, right?" I added slyly.  He let go of me as a jest and watched as I wobbled, trying to balance.  Almost falling again, he took my arm and held it until he guided me to a place to sit.

"Nah.  You're too heavy," he replied, redoing my laces.  I glared at him.

"So should I become anorexic so I'd weigh less?" I replied, jokingly.  Of course I wasn't going to.  Me letting Van eat all the sausage and eggs?  It would never happen until after I left.

"Sure," he said.  "You'd look better too…" he added, smirking.

"Really," I said sarcastically, playing along.  "So how much do I need to lose?"

By then he had finished with my laces, and pulled me to my feet.  "Mel," he said, changing to a more serious tone.  "You better not have believed I was spouting the truth a few moments ago, because you're perfect the way you are."

This compliment took me by surprise.  "Really?" I said, truly not sure that he really meant that.

"Of course, Mel.  You're my girlfriend, and I wouldn't want to be able to crush you into pulp every time I wanted to embrace me," he said with a little humor, and I wanted to glare at him for taking such an important thing so lightly.  "I mean, I want you to be my girlfriend for a long time, which means I wouldn't want you to die."

"Yeah of course," I said in a mocking, 8 year old voice.  Seeing his smile drop made me laugh internally for some reason.  Maybe he was trying to be sweet, but couldn't say the right words.

"No I really mean it," he pleaded.  He looked so serious and sad that I wanted to cheer him up a bit.  So I took his face in my hands, and to his surprise, I kissed him on the lips.

"Thank you," I said after I pulled away.  Then smiling, I added, "Maybe we can make the trip to the forest also a private moment for the two of us."

"Don't we spend a lot of time alone together?" said Van, a bit confused at where I was headed.  Is he really that thick-headed?

"In seclusion," I clarified for him.  "That's what we'll have in the forest.  Hopefully."

Van laughed suddenly.  "You know what else is in that forest besides trees?" he asked me, not expecting me to respond.  "Monsters."

"Damn it!" I swore, realizing that it wouldn't work out.  "Then let's do this quickly so I can spend some time with you alone then."

Van nodded, taking my hand.  Then hand in hand we walked quickly out of Termina.

*****

"What the heck is this place?" I exclaimed as we walked through the water.  Bulbs were running around, and with one swing of my boomerang I knocked down three of them.  Van finished them off with a powerful swing from his boomerang as soon as they stood up again.

"It's called the Shadow Forest," said Van.  "Unfortunately it's the only nearby forest, or I wouldn't have taken you here."

"So am I supposed to be scared or something?" I asked Van.  Then pretending to be a brainless doll I clutched his arm and whimpered, "Oh, I'm so scared, Van."

"I'll…" he started, but stopped as the flash of lightning interrupted him.  "…protect you."  He hugged me for a little bit, and then as the rain poured down, said, "It looks pretty bad.  I know a place where at least the rain won't pour on us anymore."

"Really?" I gasped.  Light drizzle is fine, but I hate pouring rain and being outside when there is lightning.  Grabbing my arm, Van led me deeper into the forest.  I looked at him with surprise as he led me across a waterfall and then led me through it.

"What's this…oh wow!" I exclaimed as I saw the dry place underneath the waterfall.  It even had the remains of a fire, which Van quickly ignited again.

"A guy named Funguy used to live here," Van told me as he proceeded to lift up his shirt.  "He left a year ago, after he became human again."

"What?" I exclaimed, more so because Van had completely taken off his shirt then to what happened to that other guy.  "What…are you doing?" I stammered, blushing red.

"I'm going to let it dry.  Plus wearing wet clothes after a while gets you sick," replied Van.  "You should take your wet clothes off too," he said to me as he began to work on removing his pants.  I gasped, and turned around.  Oh my god!  Van was voluntarily stripping in front of me.  Me, the fourteen year old plain girl who just happens to have never seen a man in his underwear before.  Of course I was freaking out.  I mean, what was I supposed to do anyway?

"Come on, Mel, don't be modest," said Van, and I could hear him stepping out of his pants.  I refused to turn around as he continued.  "I've already seen you in your underwear before, and you have nothing to hide."  Then when I finally dared to turn around, I saw him, absolutely gorgeous, and was probably the deepest red ever.  "Unless you want me to take your clothes off for you," he added slyly.

This earned a glare, and a swift response.  "Van, you pervert!  I'm only fourteen!" I protested, implying that I'm not ready for this kind of flirting.  I backed towards the wall as he came closer.  When my back finally hit the wall, I just stood, breathing heavily, waiting for him to do something.

"Mel," he said quietly and sweetly.  "You don't have to do it, you know.  I…just wanted to look out for you."  As he backed away, he was hit accidentally by the edge of my shirt as I lifted it above my head.  He stared at me in shock as I then took off my shorts.

"Van," I said as I picked up my wet clothes and wrung as much water as I could out of them.  "I trust you."  Walking back with him to the fire, we sat down with me in his arms, waiting for the rain to stop.  It felt so nice to be together like that, with his warmth around me, our hands clasped.

The rain didn't last long enough.

*****

"Oh shoot!" I said as I finally was able to have time to work on my portrait of Van.  "I haven't even started yet, and today's almost gone!  I'm screwed!"  I was too absorbed in my frenzy that I didn't hear the knocks on my door.

"Mel?" shouted someone from outside the door.  I thought to myself, no one comes to bother me this late at night.  Walking quickly to open the door, I saw that it was Van who had come to talk, wearing his loose pajamas.

"Uh Mel, will you be free tomorrow night?" he asked, twitching a bit.

"Uh…" I said, contemplating whether I should say yes or not.  I really wanted to use that time to work on Van's portrait, but we haven't had a night out for a long time.  Plus he looks like he's beginning to frown.  "Yeah," I said, smiling, which made him smile in return.

"Good, because I want to take you out to dinner," he said.  "At a fancy place."  Out for dinner?  At a restaurant maybe?  Was that it?

"Oh," I said, without much enthusiasm.  He looked at me, and I knew he was going to ask me if I wanted to go somewhere else, so I continued, "I don't have anything to wear."  Truthfully, I thought he would want to spend some time in seclusion with me.

"Is that is?" he said with a little laugh.  "Don't worry.  Rhonda will get you something."  I faked a smile.  Then with a smile he said, "It's settled."

As soon as I shut the door, I told myself, "I'm so screwed!"

*****

"This dress is too low for me," I told Rhonda as I tried to pull up the straps of the blue silky dress I was to wear for dinner.  Rhonda laughed.

Rhonda replied, "Don't be modest.  It fits perfectly on you.  Van will absolutely love it.  Now for some make-up…"

"No, not that!  I don't want weird stuff on my face," I said, trying to escape Rhonda's hands that were covered with blush.

"Mel, you're going to be so beautiful that Van will not be able to take his eyes off of you," Rhonda cooed as she applied the sticky junk all over my face.  "There you go, Mel," she said, after she finished.  "Now look at yourself in the mirror."  I walked towards the mirror and gasped.  This was…not me!

"I know," said Rhonda, as if reading my mind.  "Van's going to freak out…in a good way.  Now go!"  With this she pushed me out the door, right into Van, who was dressed in a black suit and a blue tie.

"What's going on…oh, Mel…" said Van as he caught me and then stared at me.  "Mel…you're gorgeous…" he gasped with the largest eyes ever.  I bet he never expected I could look so nice, now did he.  Oh well.

"You look good too," I replied truthfully, taking his arm.  "Now where are you escorting me to?" I asked for the tenth time today, since I wasn't able to get it out from him before.

"It's a secret," he said smiling.  We continued out of the house towards a large banquet hall, which I never knew existed until now.  Looking at the humongous place, I stared at awe at the fine architecture.

"What is this place?" I asked.  It must have been built recently, because it looked brand new and never used before.

"This is the new banquet hall built by Termina, and we are going to attend an artists' ball held annually where artists from around the world come together and share their works as well as meet each other," explained Van.

"So why am I here?" I asked, knowing that this place wasn't meant for beginners like me.

"You're my girlfriend, and I am allowed to bring up to three other people with me to the banquet, as long as I buy tickets," he replied.  He reached into his pocket and produced two tickets, handing one to me.

"Oh.  So I can keep you company while you try to survive the banquet or something," I concluded, placing the ticket securely in my hand.

"It's actually not that horrible.  Knowing quite a few younger artists come to these banquets, there is music and dancing as well," said Van.

"Oh, I see," I said, feeling still a bit disappointed.  This time could have been spent better working on that portrait.  But I guess Van really wanted me to come…

"Mel?" said Van, who was looking at me.  I must have been lost in my thoughts or something.  Muttering an apology, I took his hand and we entered the banquet hall.  Man, there were a lot of people here, a lot of food, and a lot of paintings.

"Over here," said Van, dragging me towards one of his works.  Looking at the picture, I looked at the color of the hair and gasped when I recognized the face.

"Van!  You painted me?" I said in surprise.  When he nodded, I just stood there and stared.  It was so good, with the littlest freckles painted too.  I continued to analyze the picture until a woman's voice interrupted.

"You must be Van Dillogne and his girlfriend Melanie Hineka," she said to us.  Both Van and I turned around, nodding.  There before us stood a young blonde haired woman in a dark green strapless dress and a young blond haired man in a black suit with his arm around her waist.  "I am Virginia Eldic, from the mainland and this is my boyfriend Luc Roseman, also a painter.  Nice to meet you."

"You too," Van replied, shaking her hand.  I shook her hand as well as her boyfriend's hand, before being dragged by Van.  "Let's have our dinner now," he said, leading me to the tables piles with all types of delicious foods.  As I gasped in surprise in the quality and amount, Van piles his plate with a bite of each.  Following suit, we found a seat at edge of one of the long banquet tables.  We were soon joined by Virginia and Luc, who decided to sit next to us.

I was nervous, because I didn't want to embarrass Van in front of these two, who seemed to know the proper table etiquette.  Eating carefully, I made sure I did not speak with food in my mouth or speak any rude comments.  Luc, who sat next to me, was pretty quiet.  Most of the conversation was between Virginia and Van, who was surprisingly social tonight.  After finishing my plate, I waited as Virginia and Van continued to talk.  Man this was boring.  Then when the sounds of music began, Luc, who had been finished with his meal as well, talked for the first time during the meal.

"Would you mind if I had one dance with the lovely Melanie Hineka while you continue to talk?" he asked Van, who was only half-finished.  I blushed slightly at the statement, and it looked like Virginia did not mind.  With food in his mouth, Van nodded, and Luc took my hand, leading me to the dance floor.

"Uh…I don't know how to dance," I stammered as Luc began to move to the beat.

"Don't worry," he said.  "Just let your body flow and release what you are feeling."  He looked around.  "No one's watching you anyway."  He continued to dance, and deciding that I would try it to, I began moving around to the beat.

Wow, was dancing like this?  Suddenly the song changed to slower tune.  In a second practically everyone was paired up and holding each other, swaying slowly.  Luc looked at me and smiled.  "Want to slow dance with me?  It looks like your boyfriend isn't here yet," he said.

"Sure," I said, hesitantly putting my hands on his shoulders, his hands going around my waist.

"So how long have you been with Van?" asked Luc, his lips close to my ear.

"About a month," I replied.  "How about you and Virginia?"

"About the same amount of time," he answered.  "You know," he confessed, "despite being 19, she's my first girlfriend."

"Well Van's my first boyfriend too," I told him.  After a bit of silence, I said, "I'm a bit scared."

"Of what?" asked Luc, looking at me in the eyes.

"I'm afraid I won't do something right and that he'll break up with me," I admitted, feeling stupid.

"Me too," replied Luc, which sort of surprised me.  "Virginia has had 3 boyfriends before, and I feel like I need to be better then them so that she'll stay with me."  Really?  Well she was really pretty and such.  I wonder how many Van has had?  I mean, as in how many girlfriends, of course.

"Well you're nice and handsome," I told him, which was the truth.  He did look good with his blonde hair and blue eyes, but Van was just hotter.

"You too," he said.  "If Van breaks up with you, he'll be losing someone special."  Wow, he thinks that much of me already and he has just met me?

"Thanks," I said to the indirect compliment.  As the song ended, we unlinked ourselves and waved farewell.  "Good luck in your relationship," I shouted to him as he left.

"You too," he replied before disappearing in the crowd.  If Virginia breaks up with him, she'll be losing someone special too.  As I stood thinking in the middle of the dance floor, someone grabbed me from behind.

"Who are you…oh Van!  You're finally here," I said, smiling at him.

"So how was talking to Luc?  Was he nicer than me?" asked Van, who seemed a bit jealous.

"Yeah, he was nice.  How about Virginia?  You talked to her for a long time," I asked in response.

"She's a little annoying, but otherwise not so bad," he replied.  As the next tune began, Van took my hand.

"Let's dance, Mel," he said, pulling me towards a secluded area.  "By ourselves."

It was a fun night, that night, and we danced the whole time together.  But I only had the outline of Van done.  How was I going to finish the rest in a day?

*****

It's been 6 hours of endless staring at Van's old pictures as well adding shading with my colored pencils.  His hair has been barely started, and the shading of his cheeks and nose are still a bit off.  I'm proud of the eyes and the mouth, which came out better than I hoped at the beginning.  Luckily my lessons for today were canceled, because otherwise I would not have anytime to finish the picture.

"Dinner time!" shouted Rhonda from the kitchen.  I reluctantly left my room, deciding to quickly eat and then to hurry back to my room.  Though Van was confused by my sudden urgency at dinner, Rhonda did not let out my secret.  Now it was 11 o'clock, and I was still working on his hair.  The reflection of light in the hair was bothering me.  It just didn't seem right.  Even though I was extremely tired, I pushed myself for another two hours, I think.  Either way, I ended up falling asleep on the picture.  When Rhonda found me there still the next morning, she carefully extracted me as to not wake me and tucked me into the bed.  It was 10 in the morning before I woke up.

"Whoa…what the heck?" I said as I opened my eyes, seeing the portrait on the desk and myself in bed.  "When did I fall asleep?"  Getting out of bed, I went immediately to my desk and picked up my colored pencil.  Just a few more strokes in his hair, and then I would go to see if there was any breakfast.

"Mel!  Breakfast!" called Rhonda from outside my room.  Deciding to follow the urges from my empty stomach, I went to have breakfast.  Seeing that the house was quite silent despite being morning, I asked Rhonda, "Where is Van?"

"Oh, Van went to see a friend.  He'll be back for dinner," she replied.  Then smiling at me, she said, "You have time.  Don't stress, okay?"

After finishing breakfast, I proceeded to wash dishes before being stopped by Rhonda.  "I'll do them, Mel," she insisted.  "Finish that portrait, okay?  I want to see it done today."

"Yes, Rhonda," I replied.  Hmm, another few hours.  His hair will be perfect by then, I thought to myself.  Then instead of staring at the portrait that he did, I began to go with my intuition on which parts should be lighter or darker.  Then I took a break and did a little running outside.  As I glanced at how the light reflected off the people's hair, I became inspired to perfect the hair even more.  With another hour or so, I stared at my work.  "I'm done," I murmured to myself.  "I'm done…I'm DONE!"

I took a short nap before dinner.  Now it was time to reveal the surprise to Van, who was clueless the whole time.

"Um Van," I said, as he finished dinner.  "I have something to show you.  Just wait a bit, okay?"  Leaving the table I headed to my room, where the portrait still lay on my desk.  Picking up, I took a deep breath before heading back down.  "Here it is," I said to Van, displaying the picture to him and Rhonda.  "You've taught me for a month for free, so I wanted to show you how much I've appreciated it.  And for being my boyfriend also."  After saying that, I watched as he stared at the portrait, and then finally looked up to me.

"Mel…" he said quietly.  "You've been the best student and the best girlfriend I've had.  Thank you so much for the portrait."  After setting the portrait down safely, he embraced me.  "Thank you so much," he repeated.  Then laughing, he said, "So now you'll have time to spend with me again, right?"

I laughed with him.  "Did you miss me a lot while I spent so much time with the portrait?"

"Yeah," he replied.  "I was afraid that you became more attached to the paper than to me."

"Oh really?" I said.  Then mocking him, I added, "So what if I did?"

"Mel!" he said, glaring at me.  "You wouldn't…"  As he trailed off, Rhonda quietly exited the room, winking at me as she left.  I guess the gift must have been good.

"Mel, do you want to watch the stars tonight with me on the balcony?" asked Van, taking one of my hands.

"Sure," I said, squeezing his hand.

We went into his room and out onto the balcony.  The night sky was full of glittering stars.  The moon also was present, shining gently upon us as we stood in an embrace.  "It's beautiful," I murmured.

Van pulled me closer.  "I know," he whispered, before putting his lips on mine.

(A/N: I'm too mushy for my own good.  And this chapter was dragged out too much.  Next chapter should come out sometime…maybe before the month is over.)


End file.
